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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2008  with  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/familymotortourtOObaekrich 


ROUTE   OF   TOUR. 


^ 


A  Family  Motor 

Tour  Through 

Europe 

BY 

LEO   HENDRIK   BAEKELAND 


:o:- 


Published  by 

THE  HORSELESS  AGE 

9-11  Murray  Street 

New  York 

1907 


_D\ 


o<y 


TO    MY  WIFE 


PREFACE. 

DURING  the  last  few  years  so-called  "automo- 
bile literature"  has  brought  forth  numerous 
descriptions  of  motor  trips  to  Europe.  Some  of  them, 
under  the  fascinating  form  of  entertaining  novels, 
have  succeeded  in  developing  a  new  field  in  fiction 
literature.  Others,  while  giving  some  general  de- 
scription of  a  particular  trip,  have  omitted  much 
useful  information ;  and  in  some  instances  the  main 
object  of  the  publication  has  been  to  advertise  one 
special  make  of  car. 

While  planning  an  automobile  trip  through 
Europe  during  the  summer  of  1906  I  found  that  I 
was  unable  to  obtain  many  very  desirable  data. 
After  returning  home  from  my  trip  it  occurred  to 
me  that  my  fellow  automobilists  might  be  benefited 
by  the  results  of  my  own  experience.  With  this  aim 
in  view  I  have  tried  to  describe  my  experience  as 
accurately  as  possible,  and  in  a  special  chapter  I 
have  added  some  generalities  with  the  purpose  of 
thus  condensing  information  or  advice. 

During  my  travels  I  have  met  automobile  parties 
of  many  descriptions,  but  I  have  not  encountered 
any  who  had  undertaken  a  long  trip  accompanied 
by  young  children,  as  we  did.  That  this  can  be  ac- 
complished in  all  security  and  comfort  is  a  fact 
which  I  believe  ought  to  convince  and  reassure 
those  who  are  skeptical  or  timid  as  to  the  possibil- 
ities of  automobilism. 


ivi290635 


2  PREFACE. 

In  this  period  of  extreme  commercialism  it  may 
not  be  out  of  place  to  state  emphatically  that  what- 
ever is  contained  in  this  series  of  articles  has  been 
written  entirely  independent  of  any  business  consid- 
eration. 

If  I  succeed  in  inducing  others  to  try  a  similar 
trip,  and  by  giving  them  the  benefit  of  my  own  ex- 
perience contribute  to  their  happiness  and  comfort, 
I  shall  feel  amply  rewarded. 

L.  H.  B. 

YoNKERS-ON-HuDSON,  March,  1907. 


INTRODUCTION. 

AT  the  beginning  of  1899  I  bought  my  first  auto- 
mobile and  thus  became  one  of  the  earliest,  if 
not  the  very  first,  motorists  in  my  section  of  the  coun- 
try. I  soon  became  aware  of  the  fact  that  I  had  the 
unenviable  distinction  of  being  considered  by  my 
neighbors  as  an  impertinent  nuisance  in  general  and 
an  aggravated  object  of  malediction  for  horse  own- 
ers in  particular.  Among  the  latter  some  of  the 
more  timid  went  so  far  as  to  telephone  to  each 
other  whenever  I  left  town,  so  that  they  might 
time  their  buggy  drives  behind  their  shy  horses 
with  less  risk  of  meeting  the  "gasoline  devil." 

My  little  car,  one  of  the  first  made  in  the  United 
States,  a  two-cylinder  touch-spark  affair,  made  noise 
enough  to  awaken  a  whole  cemetery.  I  might  write 
a  full-sized  book  describing  all  the  harrowing  trib- 
ulations of  my  early  career  as  a  pioneer  motorist. 
At  that  time  there  were  no  garages,  no  chauffeurs, 
no  special  machinists.  Whenever  anything  went 
wrong — and  this  happened  every  few  miles — I  had 
to  attend  to  it  myself.  After  a  while  I  began  to  ap- 
preciate, as  a  matter  of  course,  that  on  every  ex- 
cursion I  should  spend  about  as  much  time  under- 
neath the  car  as  inside  of  it. 

Very  soon  I  engaged  a  machinist  to  help  me. 
The  poor  fellow  was  an  Englishman  who  had  had 
varied  experience  with  almost  any  kind  of  machin- 
ery. The  eager  interest  with  which  he  took  to  his 
new  job  was  shown  by  the  encouraging  cheerful- 


4  INTRODUCTION. 

ness  he  displayed  during  the  first  breakdowns;  but 
somehow  or  other  he  was  not  prepared  to  cope  with 
all  the  **cussedness"  which  was  stored  up  for  him 
in  that  innocent-looking  vehicle. 

Finally,  overcome  and  distracted  by  too  many 
ever-recurring  troubles,  he  took  hopelessly  to  drink 
and  ran  away;  I  have  never  seen  him  since,  al- 
though I  have  often  been  haunted  in  my  nightmares 
by  his  desperate-looking  ghost. 

I  am  afraid  I  owe  it  to  nothing  but  my  inborn 
stubbornness  that  I  did  not  drop  then  and  there 
the  vexing  sport  of  automobiling.  But  I  perse- 
vered, and  by  the  time  I  had  improved  the  sparking 
plugs  and  the  driving  gear  and  was  able  to  make 
the  thing  run  in  what  I  then  thought  a  tolerable 
fashion,  I  found  a  better  car,  a  steam  buggy  this 
time.  It  looked  so  easy  to  handle,  so  silent,  so 
well  behaved  at  first,  that  it  took  me  several  days  to 
find  out  that  matters  were  not  by  any  means  so 
perfect  as  they  seemed  to  be  at  the  demonstration, 
on  the  success  of  which  I  had  placed  my  order. 
Burnt-out  boilers,  crushed  bearings,  uncalled-for 
fireworks  from  the  gasoline  tank  and  other  similar 
peace-disturbing  happenings  made  me  return  again 
to  the  type  of  internal  combustion  car,  which  had 
become  much  improved  in  the  meantime. 

I  now  purchased  a  car  of  French  make,  which 
gave  me  considerably  less  trouble  and  less  expense 
for  repairs ;  from  this  time  on  I  was  able  to  under- 
take trips  of  increased  duration. 

But  this  make  of  car  was  outrageously  noisy, 
and  the  vibration  was  such  that  an  old  lady  whom 
I  had  invited  to  travel  with  me  ran  away  indig- 


INTRODUCTION.  S 

nantly  when  she  became  aware  that  trepidatioji  had 
caused  her  set  of  false  teeth  to  drop  out  of  her 
mouth. 

With  my  last  two  cars  I  have  been  considerably 
more  fortunate.  Both  were  built  in  America,  but 
were  very  close  copies  of  accepted  French  designs. 
Some  of  my  friends  who  have  no  or  little  knowl- 
edge of  machinery  -and  no  experience  in  automobil- 
ing,  but  are  blessed  with  generous  bank  accounts, 
purchased  the  most  high-priced  cars  France  could 
produce.  When  something  went  wrong,  which 
happened  once  in  a  while,  they  blamed  automobiles 
in  general  and  seemed  satisfied  with  the  belief  that 
matters  would  be  worse  with  any  but  their  own 
machines.  I  myself  had  to  be  more  cautious  in  my 
expenses  and  had  to  use  more  discrimination  before 
purchasing. 

At  that  time  I  was  aware  of  at  least  four  re- 
liable American  makes.  In  some  details  these  do- 
mestic cars  may  have  been  inferior  to  imported 
ones ;  in  others  they  were  undoubtedly  superior. 

Since  then  I  have  had  plenty  of  opportunity  to 
compare  performances  of  foreign  cars  with  good 
American  cars.  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that, 
while  for  racing  and  very  high  power  cars  America 
has  not  yet  produced  machines  equal  to  those  of 
foreign  make,  many  touring  cars  of  moderate  horse 
power  have  been  built  during  the  last  two  years 
which  have  proved  to  be  at  least  as  reliable  as  the 
best  high-priced  foreign  productions. 

During  the  first  struggling  period  of  automobil- 
ing  the  main  effort  was  naturally  directed  toward 
making  sure  that  the  cars  "would  go,"  but  of  late 


6  INTRODUCTION. 

more  attention  has  been  paid  to  the  question  of  com- 
fort. There  are  many  yet  who  imagine  that  goggles 
and  masks,  together  with  an  outfit  resembling  a 
combination  of  a  diver's  suit  with  Esquimau  dress, 
are  indispensable  for  motoring.  I  used  to  think  so 
myself,  and  whenever  I  invited  friends  I  bundled 
them  up  as  if  they  were  going  to  a  German  student 
duel  or  upon  a  North  Pole  expedition. 

And  even  then,  after  a  few  hours'  trip,  a  general 
scrubbing  was  very  much  needed.  Swollen  cheeks, 
red  noses  and  tired  eyes  were  some  of  the  draw- 
backs which  soon  stampeded  the  enthusiasm,  espe- 
cially if  ladies  were  of  the  party.  . 

Furthermore,  the  microbe-laden  dust  can  scarcely 
be  called  healthful  or  pleasant. 

The  front  glass  which  acts  as  a  shield  and  more 
especially  the  limousine  or  landaulet  type  of  automo- 
bile bodies  have  improved  all  this.  From  my  own 
experience  I  dare  say  that  whoever  has  tried  long 
distance  touring  in  a  well-designed  limousine  will 
find  an  unprotected,  open  touring  car  a  very  objec- 
tionable contrivance,  as  different  as  an  open  freight 
car  is  from  a  well-appointed  observation  car. 

A  properly  constructed  limousine  or  landaulet 
can  be  made  as  open  as  an  open  car,  but  can  be 
changed  immediately  so  as  to  provide  a  perfect 
shelter  for  all  emergencies.  .  The  roof  protects 
against  the  burning  rays  of  the  sun,  as  well  as 
against  dust  and  rain.  The  rear  is  indispensable 
as  a  dust  shield,  and  the  side  windows  can  be 
dropped  partially  or  totally,  according  to  the  weather 
conditions.  A  broad  front  window  which  can  be 
opened  over  its  full  width  leaves  a  free  outlook  for 


INTRODUCTION.  7 

the  passengers,  while  the  plate  glass  in  front  of  the 
driver  protects  against  dust  and  flying  insects,  al- 
though it  does  not  obstruct  the  view  and  allows  am- 
ple ventilation  even  in  hot  weather. 

It  seems  almost  a  paradox,  but  open  cars  are  hot- 
test in  summer  weather;  then,  indeed,  the  glaring 
sun  sends  its  burning  rays  on  the  heads  of  the 
unsheltered  occupants.  I  have  noticed  more  than 
once  that  during  very  hot  days  the-  inside  seats  of  a 
limousine  are  cooler  than  the  driving  seat,  which 
is  not  so  well  sheltered  against  the  radiation  of  the 
superheated  road. 

While  touring  through  Europe  I  found  that  al- 
most all  the  better  cars  of  modern  make  were  of  the 
limousine  or  landaulet  pattern,  and  I  believe  that 
within  the  next  few  years  unprotected  touring  cars 
will  become  more  and  more  the  exception. 

One  of  my  friends  is  the  owner  of  an  open  car. 
One  day,  while  he  was  driving,  the  front  wheel  of 
the  car  came  off  on  account  of  defective  construc- 
tion. My  friend  was  thrown  over  the  dashboard 
into  a  ditch,  and  very  luckily  escaped  without  in- 
juries. Since  that  time  he  cites  this  occurrence  as 
an  argument  against  anything  but  open  cars;  he  is 
afraid  that  whenever  he  may  again  be  pitched  out 
of  a  car  the  window  will  prove  too  much  of  an 
obstacle. 

A  similar  argument  was  advanced  during  the  con- 
struction of  the  first  railroad  carriages,  which  on 
this  account  were  made  windowless.  Even  now  in 
Europe  most  railway  cars  are  padded,  and  this 
stuffy  upholstery  is  the  survival  of  a  design  inspired 
by  the  former  fears  of  collision. 


8  INTRODUCTION. 

I  believe  that  an  automobile  should  be  of  a  con- 
struction sufficiently  reliable  to  preclude  the  com- 
ing off  of  a  front  wheel,  and  that,  furthermore,  it 
should  never  be  driven  in  such  a  way  as  to  render 
collisions  possible.  But  even  if  reckless  speeds  are 
indulged  in  all  windows  can  be  lowered,  and  in  that 
case  the  car  is  safer  than  an  open  one. 

Some  automobile  constructors  have  tried  to  do 
away  with  glass  by  using  celluloid.  This  is  a  very 
unsatisfactory  substitute,  of  insufficient  transparence 
and  rather  dangerous  on  account  of  its  pronounced 
combustibility.  That  a  cinder  of  a  lighted  cigar 
may  Set  it  ablaze  will  readily  be  believed  by  all  who 
know  that  the  base  of  celluloid  is  nitro-cellulose  or 
gun  cotton,  a  high  explosive. 

As  may  be  inferred  from  the  above,  my  own  car 
is  of  the  limousine  type.  It  is  by  no  means  the 
most  expensive  car  that  can  be  bought,  but  as  it  is  it 
has  proved  very  satisfactory  and  has  rendered  long 
and  faithful  service.  Built  in  1904,  it  is  now  more 
than  two  years  old  and  is  still  in  a  condition  which 
leads  me  to  expect  many  more  years  of  good  work. 
The  car  is  of  American  make,  and  I  think  I  am 
only  doing  justice  to  the  makers  by  mentioning  that 
the  chassis  or  machinery  was  built  by  the  Peerless 
Motor  Car  Company,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  while  the 
limousine  body  was  built  by  Quinby  &  Co.,  Newark, 
N.J. 

The  engine  has  four  cylinders  and  is  rated  at  only 
24  horse  power.  This  motor  has  never  given  me  a 
second's  hesitation,  although  it  has  never  been  taken 
apart  nor  examined  a  single  time  since  the  day 
when  it  left  the  factory.     I  cannot  say  as  much  of 


INTRODUCTION.  9 

the  transmission,  which  has  required  some  watch- 
ing, the  driving  pinion  having  shown  sometimes  a 
tendency  to  get  out  of  adjustment. 

For  those  who  do  not  know  this  type  of  car  I 
may  add  that  the  motor  has  jump  spark  ignition 
and  the  transmission  is  of  the  bevel  gear  type,  with- 
out chains.  When  I  first  bought  the  car  it  was 
provided  simply  with  a  storage  battery.  My  former 
automobile  had  been  equipped  with  an  Apple  dyna- 
mo, and  contrary  to  the  advice  of  the  makers  I 
adapted  a  similar  dynamo  to  this  car.  The  result 
of  this  addition  has  corroborated  my  former  satis- 
factory experience. 

On  the  dashboard  a  little  volt-  and  ammeter  shows 
me  at  any  time  the  condition  of  the  source  of  cur- 
rent used  for  both  ignition  and  lighting.  The  whole 
outfit  weighs  and  costs  scarcely  more  than  an  extra 
storage  battery,  and  I  feel  that  the  astonishing 
regularity  of  my  engine  has  been  due  very  much  to 
this  excellent  addition. 

I  prefer  a  dynamo  to  a  magneto  because  the 
former  also  furnishes  electric  light  for  the  lamps, 
inside  as  well  as  outside.  This  dispenses  with  all 
the  bother  of  ordinary  lamps,  and  furthermore  af- 
fords a  safe  and  easy  means  for  inspecting  any  part 
of  the  machinery  even  in  the  darkest  night,  without 
any  danger  of  fire  or  explosion  should  there  bCy^ 
leak  of  the  gasoline.  A  flexible  cord,  with  its  c^^ 
nected  lamp,  is  always  and  instantly  available.      ^^\ 

Among  several  other  minor  additions  to  the  chf  ,^.,^' 
I   should   mention   a   strong  and   reliable   ''sprag,^'- 
consisting  of  a  steel  rod  about  three-quarters  of  an 
inch  thick  and  pivoted  at  the  upper  end  on  the  right 


10  INTRODUCTION. 

side  of  the  rear  axle.  At  about  six  inches  from  the 
loose  or  pointed  extremity  of  this  rod  it  is  connected 
by  means  of  a  good  strong  steel  chain  to  the  end  of 
the  chassis.  This  chain  is  just  long  enough  to  pre- 
vent the  car  from  walking  over  the  "sprag,"  in  case 
the  latter  enters  too  deeply  in  a  soft  roadbed.  Most 
"sprags"  have  no  such  chain  and  are  in  conse- 
quence apt  to  become  useless  and  even  very 
dangerous,  as  I  know  from  personal  experience. 
For  touring  in  a  hilly  or  mountainous  country  I 
consider  a  reliable  "sprag"  indispensable.  Even  if 
not  to  be  used  as  a  last  resort  in  case  of  defective 
or  improperly  adjusted  brakes  it  will  allow  more 
ease  and  freedom  in  stopping  or  starting  on  heavy 
inclines. 

The  roomy  body  of  the  car  can  seat  five  persons 
inside  and  two  on  the  outside.  Sometimes  we  have 
traveled  with  eight — three  crowding  on  the  front 
seat  or  the  chauffeur  sitting  on  the  side  of  the  plat- 
form. 

The  coach  work  is  made  of  aluminum,  wood 
trimmed  with  mahogany,  and  upholstered  with  dark 
green  leather.  The  distance  between  the  floor  and 
the  ceiling  is  such  as  to  make  it  very  comfortable. 
The  plate  windows  are  rather  large,  and  when  all 
are  open  the  view  is  no  more  obstructed  than  in 
an  open  touring  car  with  canopy  top.  A  little  ma- 
hogany folding  table  about  14x24  inches  can  be 
r-  d  or  lowered  instantly  from  the  side.  Two 
li  r^  lockers  on  the  rear  corners  contain  toilet 
articles  and  refreshments. 

On  the  upper  part  of  the  sides  are  hooks  for 
overcoats,   and   on  the   ceiling  is   a   silk  cord   ar- 


INTRODUCTION.  n 

rangement  for  carrying  half  a  dozen  hats  without 
the  necessity  of  boxing. 

A  bright  electric  lamp  furnishes  abundant  light 
for  reading  or  writing  in  the  evening  and  a  heavy 
brass  pipe  near  the  floor  provides  a  foot  rest  as  well 
as  a  foot  warmer  for  cold  weather.  Through  this 
pipe  can  be  sent  a  portion  of  the  exhaust  gas  of  the 
engine,  making  the  car  as  comfortable  in  zero 
weather  as  in  summer. 

Guides,  plans,  maps  and  note  books  are  carried 
in  a  readily  accessible  bag  attached  on  the  side  wall, 
while  a  little  bookrack  below  offers  room  for  a  few  ' 
books. 

Ample  tool  boxes  and  lockers  for  spare  parts  and 
other  accessories  were  provided,  while  the  extra 
tires  were  strapped  on  the  roof  toward  the  front. 

The  baggage  was  packed  in  ten  leather  dress  suit 
cases  carried  on  top  in  the  railing  and  one  small 
leather  trunk  carried  on  the  rear.  All  this  was 
properly  protected  against  dust  and  rain  by  means 
of  waterproof  fabric. 

The  car,  empty  of  passengers  and  without  lug- 
gage, but  carrying  spare  tires,  tools,  water  and  gaso- 
line, weighed  3,130  pounds.  Weighed  in  Europe, 
while  touring  with  full  equipment  of  trunks,  three 
adults  and  two  children,  it  showed  on  the  Govern- 
ment scales  4,200  pounds.  Sometimes  this  weight 
w-as  increased  by  three  extra  passengers,  and  it  is 
a  very  creditable  performance  for  a  car  of  24  horse 
power  climbing  with  this  weight,  without  hesita- 
tion, the  highest  mountain  roads  over  the  Alps. 

As  to  the  tires,  I  used  34x4^  inch.  While  touring 
England  and  Scotland,  covering  over   1,300  miles. 


12  INTRODUCTION. 

I  had  only  two  punctures.  In  midsummer  on  the 
hot  roads  of  France  I  burst  three  tires  in  succession, 
then  went  through  the  remainder  of  the  trip  and 
through  Italy  without  even  the  necessity  of  pumping 
up. 

I  have  tried  several  makes  of  American  and  Eng- 
lish tires  and  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  a 
well-known  make  of  French  tire  is  the  least  bad. 
I  was  told  that  this  foremost  French  tire  manufac- 
turer had  made  8,000,000  francs  clear  profit  last 
year.  The  fact  that  he  has  reduced  the  price  to 
$43  for  new  covers,  34x4^,  shows  that  American 
manufacturers  at  a  price  50  per  cent,  higher  should 
be  able  to  considerably  improve  their  products. 

Our  tour,  starting  in  London,  included  England, 
Scotland,  a  small  strip  .of  Belgium,  the  almost  entire 
length  of  France,  the  crossing  of  the  Alps  and 
Italy,  and  ended  at  Naples,  from  where  the  car 
was  sent  home. 

Our  party  consisted  of  my  wiit,  my  eleven-year- 
old  boy,  my  litle  daughter,  nine  years  old,  myself 
and  my  chauffeur  Lewis. 

As  to  the  latter,  he  is  an  American  who  speaks 
nothing  but  English  and  is  a  married  man  of  steady 
and  temperate  habits.  An  excellent  coachman,  he  is 
very  observant  of  the  rules  of  the  road  and  makes  a 
good  driver.  As  to  his  mechanical  training,  he  ob- 
tained it  under  my  direction  during  the  last  years 
of  his  service  with  me,  and  now  understands  thor- 
oughly every  part  of  the  machinery  of  this  par- 
ticular make  of  car. 

While  I  cannot  boast  of  having  broken  speed 
records,  I  put  special  stress  upon  the  fact  that  never 


INTRODUCTION.  13 

during  the  many  years  I  have  owned  automobiles 
have  I  caused  injury  to  anybody;  never  have  I  had 
an  accident  and  never  have  I  been  arrested  for 
violating  the  automobile  laws  of  any  country. 

While  touring  in  Europe  our  aim  was  not  so 
much  to  make  mileage  by  flying  from  one  country 
to  another.  We  desired  to  enjoy  whatever  there  was 
interesting  or  agreeable  along  our  route  and  thus 
contribute  to  our  own  education  as  well  as  to  that 
of  our  children.  Whether  the  latter  enjoyed  the 
fact  that  they  had  some  school  books  along,  and 
whenever  we  stopped  anywhere  for  over  a  day 
had  their  lessons  under  the  tutorship  of  their  able 
mother,  is  a  question  which  I  am  not  prepared  to 
answer  affirmatively. 

But  I  know  that  our  daily  general  discussion  on 
topics  relative  to  the  countries  through  which  we 
were  traveling  was  of  considerable  educational 
value  to  their  youthful  minds  and  never  failed  to 
interest  them  immensely. 

Not  being  pressed  for  time,  we  were  able  to 
change  our  plans  frequently,  sometimes  on  the  spur 
of  the  moment.  Whenever  we  found  a  place  which 
was  sufficiently  attractive  we  could  conclude  to 
stop  there  for  several  days  in  succession.  This  we 
were  able  to  do  because  we  carried  an  ample 
supply  of  baggage  and  traveling  requisites. 

We  avoided  as  much  as  possible  the  large  cities 
easily  accessible  by  train,  and  preferred  the  smaller 
places  of  interest  situated  more  outside  the  big 
arteries  of  travel  and  which,  on  this  account,  have 
special  attractions  for  the  automobilist. 

While  planning  our  European  tour  I  was  fully 


14  INTRODUCTION. 

aware  of  the  importance  of  providing  proper  box- 
ing for  my  car.  Steamship  companies  will  trans- 
port automobiles  only  when  boxed  or  crated.  Aside 
from  this  I  desired  to  make  sure  that  my  car  would 
arrive  in  good  condition.  Furthermore,  I  wanted 
to  be  able  to  pack  and  unpack  quickly  and  in  such 
a  way  that  the  box  itself  could  be  knocked  down 
easily  and  be  shipped  to  any  point  from  which  I 
intended  to  sail  back  to  the  United  States.  Several 
forwarding  companies  offered  to  attend  to  all  these 
matters  for  me,  but,  as  I  could  spare  the  time  and 
attention,  I  concluded  to  have  a  box  made  to  my 
own  specifications,  and  to  supervise  myself  all  mat- 
ters connected  with  packing  and  shipping.  In  order 
to  avoid  unforeseen  delays  in  boxing  and  unboxing, 
I  made  my  chauffeur  rehearse  these  operations  in 
my  garden,  so  that  when  two  days  prior  to  sailing 
we  arrived  at  the  steamship  pier  in  New  York  with 
our  automobile  he  knew  exactly  how  much  time  and 
help  was  required  for  enclosing,  the  car  in  the 
"knock-down"  box  which  had  arrived  the  day  be- 
fore. « 


ENGLAND  AND  SCOTLAND. 

SHIPMENT  was  made  per  steamship  Minnehaha, 
of  the  Atlantic  Transport  Line,  and  about  two 
.weeks  afterward,  when  we  presented  ourselves  at 
the  Tilbury  Docks  near  London,  we  were  greeted 
by  the  familiar  sight  of  our  box,  standing  near  the 
stone  edge  of  the  well-planned  basins. 

Liberal  Great  Britain,  with  its  enlightened  laws 
of  free  trade,  spared  us  all  the  vexations  and  red 
tape  of  customs  examination,  and  in  about  forty-five 
minutes  the  car  was  unpacked,  ready  to  run,  and 
we  had  only  to  store  the  ''knock-down," 

As  it  is  strictly  forbidden  to  bring  gasoline  in- 
side the  docks,  the  car  had  to  be  pushed  as  far  as 
the  gate,  where  it  was  provided  with  the  necessary 
supply  of  fuel  and  water.  After  this,  the  first  turn 
of  the  crank  sent  the  motor  oflf. 

I  was  reminded  of  the  fact  that  I  was  not  allowed 
to  drive  in  England  without  a  British  license,  the 
penalty  being  arrest  and  fine. 

Two  days  previo^isly  I  had  written  to  the  county 
clerk  for  a  license,  but  only  that  very  morning  had 
I  received  the  blanks  to  be  returned  and  filled  in, 
duly  signed  and  accompanied  by  ii  ($5)  for  the 
license  number,  and  5s.  for  the  driver's  license. 

Not  desiring  to  be  delayed  on  this  account,  I 
borrowed  two  number  plates  from  an  obliging  auto- 
mobile supply  store,  and,  before  starting  off,  mailed 
the  money  and  documents  to  the  county  clerk. 

IS 


i6  ENGLAND   AND    SCOTLAND 

I  trusted  to  good  luck  and  to  my  borrowed  num- 
bers to  escape  arrest,  and  discounted  the  good  sense 
and  courtesy  of  English  policemen ;  in  case  I  should 
be  compelled  to  excuse  my  irregularity  I  intended 
to  mention  that  I  w^s  merely  taking  possession  of 
my  car  and  would  not  use  it  further  until  my  license 
was  obtained. 

I  had  been  under  the  impression  that  the  steamer 
would  land  my  automobile,  if  not  in  the  heart  of 
London,  at  least  in  close  proximity.  Therefore  I 
was  somewhat  astonished  to  find  out  that  "Tilbury 
Docks"  was  about  25  miles  distant  from  the  city. 

My  destination  was  Bromley,  where  we  intended 
to  stay  some  days,  to  be  near  our  children,  who 
were  to  remain  for  six  weeks  in  a  boarding  school 
at  Chislehurst,  until  we  were  ready  to  go  to  the 
Continent. 

Not  having  had  time  to  purchase  the  necessary 
road  maps  I  engaged  a  man  who  was  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  route,  and  under  his  guidance  we 
drove  on  without  hesitation. 

I  did  the  driving  that'  day,  and  was  soon  im- 
pressed with  the  excellent  surface  of  the  road.  No 
"thank-you-ma'ams"  nor  bumps,  as  are  so  abundant 
along  the  Hudson.  I  was  still  more  astonished  to 
find  that  we  could  run  over  grade  crossings  without 
noticing  any  jarring  or  jumping.  I  felt  a  little 
awkward  for  the  first  few  minutes  when,  according 
to  English  custom,  I  had  to  take  to  the  left  in  pass- 
ing other  vehicles ;  but  by  the  time  we  reached  the 
crowded  streets  of  London  I  had  fully  acquired  the 
habit. 

The  slippery  streets  .of  the  city  gave  us  an  un- 


ENGLAND   AND    SCOTLAND.  17 

pleasant  tendency  to  *'skid,"  and  I  was  about  to 
order  the  "chain  grips"  placed  on  the  tires,  when 
the  guide  told  me  that  we  soon  would  be  out  of  the 
crowd  and  on  dry  surface  again.  In  the  meantime 
he  called  out  'left,  right,"  etc.,  directing  what  way 
to  take,  when  suddenly,  before  I  knew  it,  we  were 
in  some  long,  straight,  narrow  passage  with  a  gentle 
incline.  "Blackwall  Tunnel!"  I  heard  him  shout. 
"Takes  us  under  the  Thames!"  By  some  singular 
acoustic  effect  all  the  combined  noises  of  the  ve- 
hicles in  the  tunnel  were  amplified  to  a  frightful  ex- 
tent, and  conversation  became  almost  impossible, 
except  by  loud  shouting.  The  humming  of  our 
motor,  which  in  the  open  air  is  quite  moderate,  be- 
came a  roaring  thunder.  The  tunnel  itself  is  a  fine 
piece  of  engineering;  on  account  of  its  gentle  slope 
it  is  considerably  longer  than  the  width  of  the 
river.  It  is  well  illuminated  by  rows  of  electric 
lights,  which  reveal  the  immaculate  whiteness  of 
the  tile-lined  walls.  The  road  is  just  about  wide 
enough  for  two  vehicles  to  pass,  but  the  humid  and 
smooth  surface  played  tricks  with  our  unshod  tires, 
and  it  was  a  wonder  that  in  our  skidding  dance 
through  that  tunnel  we  did  not  strike  anything 
worse  than  the  curbstone.  I  felt  very  glad  when  we 
were  again  in  full  daylight,  and  resolved  never 
again  to  drive  in  London  without  anti-skidding 
devices. 

We  now  had  entered  less  congested  parts  of  the 
city,  and  nearing  the  suburbs  we  noticed  how  motor 
cars  were  driven  at  a  speed  which  in  New  York 
would  surely  land  their  drivers  at  the  police  station. 
I  \vas  told  that  the  speed  limit  all  over  England  was 


i8  ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND. 

20  miles  an  hour,  but  that  non-observance  of  the 
right  of  way  was  as  severely  punished  as  reckless 
driving. 

Once  in  a  while  a  heavy  motor  bus,  with  a  shriek- 
ing noise,  came  rushing  along  a  row  of  buses,  cabs, 
trucks  and  other  vehicles,  and  I  had  to  admire  the 
skill  of  some  of  the  begrimed  motor-bus  drivers, 
who,  while  clearing  their  way  through  the  crowded 


"We  drove  into  Bromley." 

thoroughfares,  found  time  to  dash  a  pail  of  lubricat- 
ing oil  into  their  motor  box. 

We  were  nearing  the  country,  and  the  traffic  be- 
came less  dense;  could  open  the  throttle  and  give 
more  speed.  The  road  became  straighter  and  wider, 
and  the  quieting  appearance  of  the  green  landscape 
was  very  welcome.  Shortly  afterward  we  drove  into 
Bromley,  a  trim  little  town  where  our  motor  was  to 
be  garaged  and  cleaned  up  at  the  Bell  Hotel,  which 


ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND.  19 

had  been  recommended  to  me  as  a  convenient  place 
to  stop,  near  Chislehurst. 

We  found  this  arrangement  quite  satisfactory. 
We  had  good  friends  in  Bromley  whose  children 
were  in  the  same  school  as  ours.  During  that  week, 
in  company  of  these  friends  or  alone,  several  pleas- 
ant motor  trips  were  made  into  Kent  and  Surrey, 
the  most  lovely  neighboring  country  south  of 
London. 

The  vacation  of  our  children  was  to  begin  at  the 
end  of  July,  and  we  were  only  in  the  latter  part  of 
June.  This  gave  us  a  full  month  to  leisurely  tour 
England  and  Scotland  until,  on  our  return,  we 
were  to  undertake,  in  company  with  the  children, 
our  trip  over  the  Continent. 

A  few  days  were  spent  in  London,  shopping  and 
purchasing  maps,  guidebooks,  etc.  On  the  28th  of 
June  we  were  ready  to  begin  our  trip  northward. 

Unfortunately  the  day  started  with  heavy  show- 
ers, which  seemed  to  run  into  a  continuous  per- 
formance. About  noontime  we  decided  that,  shel- 
tered as  we  were  inside  the  car,  and  our  outside 
baggage  being  well  protected,  we  could  take  chances 
and  hope  that  the  weather  might  improve  before 
we  reached  the  other  end  of  London, 

This  was  precisely  what  happened,  and  by  the 
time  we  arrived  near  Richmond  the  sky  had  cleared. 
It  was  now  about  noon,  and  while  our  driver  had 
to  stop  to  replace  a  flattening  tire,  which  had  picked 
up  a  mischievous  nail,  my  wife  and  I  used  the  op- 
portunity for  starting  our  lunch  from  the  variety  of 
provisions  we  carried  inside  the  car. 

A  friendly  sun  was  now  again  smiling  on  us,  and 


20  ENGLAND   AND    SCOTLAND. 

from  the  stately  terraced  park  we  could  overlook 
the  restful  landscape  below ;  everything  seemed 
flooded  in  a  vaporous  bath  of  light,  the  slow 
Thames  River  winding  its  course  through  bright 
green  meadows,  dotted  here  and  there  with  big  and 
shady  elm  trees. 

After  our  short  stop  at  Richmond  we  passed 
through  Kew,  crossed  the  Thames  over  Kew 
Bridge  and  entered  Ealing,  by  narrow  and  con- 
gested streets.  Shortly  after,  we  branched  off  to 
the  wide  Uxbridge  road  and  driving  became  easier 
and  pleasant.  Beyond  High  Wycombe  we  met  a 
long,  stiff  grade  of  about  lo  per  cent,  and  overtook 
an  American  steam  touring  car  that  was  climbing 
the  hill,  with  the  four  occupants  walking  alongside 
the  empty  vehicle,  which  was  puffing  laboriously 
upward. 

The  farther  we  went  away  from  London  the  bet- 
ter became  the  roads.  We  were  driving  through  a 
lovely,  rolling  country,  with  a  smooth  highway  and 
green  fields.  Now  and  then  we  met  a  cheerful-look- 
ing cottage,  its  stony  fagade  made  lovelier  by  some 
creeping  tea  roses.  Carpet-like  lawns,  tastefully 
laid-out  gardens,  with  very  old  trees,  and  every- 
thing cared  for  to  perfection— all  this  gave  us  a 
strong  impression  of  pretty,  rural  England.  The 
excellent  road  invited  us  to  speed  on  and  yet  the 
sensation  of  loveliness  was  so  predominant  that  we 
preferred  to  stop  frequently  to  better  enjoy  the 
charmingly  reposeful  landscape. 

Nevertheless,  before  we  knew  it,  we  had  made 
over  70  miles  and  were  nearing  Oxford,  the  end 
of  our  day's  trip.  A  last  stretch  of  undulating  coun- 


ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND. 


21 


try  followed  by  a  steady  descent  led  us  over  the 
bridge  into  the  heart  of  the  classic  old  university 
town. 

I  was  aware  that  there  was  an  excellent  modern 
hotel,  but  we  had  concluded  that  we  would  prefer 
the  Clarendon,  an  older  one,  recommended  by  the 
Automobile  Club,  and  which  seemed  more  in  keep- 
ing with  the  general  spirit  of  old  Oxford. 

The  extensive  stables  and  garages  showed  that 


1 

1 

"Into  the  heart  of  the  classic  old  university  town." 

this  inn  was  much  patronized  by  motorists  and 
coaching  parties,  and  the  general  appearance  was 
undoubtedly  similar  to  what  I  suppose  all  good 
hotels  were  at  the  beginning  of  the  last  century. 
Our  choice  proved  very  good,  and  the  only  grudge 
I  had  against  the  hotel  was  that  for  the  first  day 
I  could  scarcely  find  my  way.  The  sleeping  rooms 
were  distributed  along  a  sort  of  labyrinth,  and,  to 
make  matters  more  perplexing  to  my  slow  memory, 


22  ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND. 

they  were  not  numbered,  but  each  bore  a  name  as : 
"The  Wellington,"  "The  Napier,"  "The  Sun,"  etc. 

It  so  happened  that  all  I  could  remember  about 
6ur  room  was  that  it  had  some  astronomical  name ; 
while  trying  to  find  my  quarters  I  had  to  be  re- 
buffed repeatedly  by  the  occupants  of  "The  Moon" 
and  "The  Sun"  before  I  finally  dared  to  try  my  luck 
at  "The  Star,"  where  I  met  with  better  success. 

This  was  not  the  best  time  for  a  visit  to  Oxford, 
as  it  had  been  vacation  for  several  weeks  and  all 
college  life  was  absent.  Yet  three  delightful  days 
were  spent- there.  Whether  visiting  the  old  build- 
ings of  the  many  colleges  or  taking  leisurely  walks 
through  the  meadows,  or  along  the  shaded  Isis,  we 
incessantly  felt  the  intense  impression  of  the  sweet, 
musing  atmosphere,  which  seemed  to  pervade  every 
part  of  the  old  town.  I  have  not  found  any  place 
in  England  which,  to  my  mind,  represents  so  well 
the  spirit  of  the  English  nation  as  this  incomparable 
Oxford,  with  its  old  traditions,  its  conservatism,  its 
imposing  quaintness  and  its  dignity. 

The  last  afternoon  we  took  a  run  to  Blenheim, 
the  castle  of  the  Duke  of  Marlborough,  a  rather 
gloomy  and  cheerless  example  of  heavy  and  pre- 
tentious architecture,  surrounded  by  an  extensive 
park,  its  only  redeeming  feature. 

The  following  day  we  were  the  expected  guests 
of  some  Scotch  friends  at  Snitterfield,  near  Strat- 
ford-on-Avon. 

We  left  Oxford  at  about  1 1  in  the  morning.  We 
had  some  difficulty  to  imagine  that  we  were  in  the 
month  of  July,  because  the  sun  shone  bleak  and 
wintery,  and  it  was  so  cold  that  we  felt  very  glad 


ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND.  23 


'Along  the  shaded  Isis." 


"Its   imposing  quaintness  and   dignity. 


24  ENGLAND   AND    SCOTLAND. 

to  have  a  closed  car  with  a  heating  device.  I  drove 
for  a  while,  but  soon  found  that,  notwithstanding  the 
shielding  front  glass,  my  overcoat  was  an  insuffi- 
cient protection  against  the  chill. 

A  gently  undulating  road  of  a  perfect  surface 
enabled  us  to  make  good  speed,  until  suddenly  at  a 
bend  in  the  highway  we  had  td  slow  down  before 
three  easy-going,  well-fed,  prosperous-looking  cows. 

As  soon  as  we  stopped  they  started  to  run,  but 
when  we  went  on  they  stopped  again  and  barred  the 
road,  which  was  closely  fenced  on  both  sides.  I 
was  fully  aware  of  the  possible  result  of  a  collision 
between  our  car  and  these  heavy  masses  of  beef, 
and  for  quite  a  time  it  was  a  game  of  run  and  stop, 
until  the  realization  of  our  ridiculous  position 
brought  forth  uncontrollable  fits  of  laughter  from 
all  of  us. 

Finally,  after  much  dodging,  one  of  the  cows 
dropped  in  a  ditch,  and  this  left  us  a  small  but  suffi- 
cient opening  to  wedge  our  way  through.  Trying 
to  offset  our  delay  I  pressed  the  accelerator  and  we 
soon  arrived  at  Stratford;  a  few  miles  further  on 
we  reached  Snitterfield,  a  small  village  surrounded 
by  a  hilly  and  well-cultivated  country. 

A  most  hearty  welcome  awaited  us  at  the  house 
of  our  friends,  who,  enthusiastic  motorists  them- 
selves, had  already  prepared  a  special  garage  for 
our  car. 

The  main  part  of  the  house  under  the  hospitable 
roof  of  which  we  were  going  to  stay  had  been  built 
in  Shakespeare's  time,  in  the  quaint  architecture  of 
that  day,  and  the  modern  additions  had  been  made 
in  tolerable  conformity  with  the  original  style. 


ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND.  25 

The  ensemble,  with  the  surrounding  gardens  and 
lawns,  made  a  delightful  specimen  of  an  English 
country  house. 

The  liberal  supply  of  rain  which  makes  the  Brit- 
ish climate  so  humid  is  also  the  main  reason  why, 
in  that  country,  it  is  possible  to  produce  such  well- 
kept  lawns,  better  than  are  to  be  found  anywhere 
else,  and  which  look  more  like  immense  green 
carpets. 

There,  the  lawn  extended  to  a  sort  of  terrace, 
with  a  green  stairway,  and  reached  out  toward  a 
very  tastefully  arranged  rose  garden.  Stately  trees, 
several  of  them  many  centuries  old,  were  artisti- 
cally grouped  all  over ;  giant  yew  trees  next  to  im- 
posing cedars  of  the  Lebanon ;  exotic-looking  arau- 
carias  in  proximity  to  glossy-leaved  hollies,  the  lat- 
ter with  trunks  almost  a  foot  in  diameter.  A  shady 
pathway  lined  by  tree-like  rhododendrons  led 
toward  an  old  church.  Everything  was  harmony 
and  every  detail  gave  evidence  of  centuries  of  good 
care  and  good  taste.  Yes,  this  is  undoubtedly  the 
secret  of  these  striking  effects  of  English  landscape 
gardening,  which  seem  so  hard  to  imitate  success- 
fully. 

The  place  just  described  is  merely  a  representa- 
tive of  hundreds  of  others,  some  larger,  some 
smaller,  but  in  all  of  them  the  landscape  gardening 
has  been  the  result  of  a  slow  and  well-studied  proc- 
ess, extending  through  many  generations  and  car- 
ried out  by  a  succession  of  owners,  the  children  being 
able  to  follow  the  improvements  which  their  fathers 
planned,  while  determining  by  actual  experience, 
and    not    by    haphazard    selection,    what    species 


26  ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND. 

of    trees    and   plants    were   best    adaptable   to   the 
country. 

In  the  States  we  are  apt  to  do  the  reverse.  Usually  ^ 
we  begin  by  destroying  the  largest  number  of  the 
trees,  then  we  try  to  make  a  garden  of  the  bare  place 
by  planting  new  trees  bought  at  random,  and  it 
takes  us  a  lifetime  to  find  out  that  many  of  them 
are  unsuitable  for  their  new  surroundings. 

In  some  of  the  English  country  places  it  took 
centuries  to  obtain  this  experience,  and  we .  can 
hardly  hope  to  acquire  the  same  in  a  small  number 
of  years.  In  the  meantime  we  ought  to  put  our 
main  faith  in  such  trees  as  are  indigenous  to  the 
locality. 

Good  gardeners,  at  reasonable  wages,  seem  to  be 
obtainable  in  England ;  so  are  good  house  servants. 
As  to  the  latter,  it  is  a  mighty  good  thing  for  the 
English  country  gentleman  that  well-trained  and 
faithful  domestics  are  neither  so  scarce  nor  so  ex- 
pensive as  in  the  United  States;  otherwise,  the 
average  English  country  house,  with  its  retinue  of 
dozens  of  servants,  would  soon  become  an  impos- 
sibility. As  matters  are  now  it  would  be  hard  to 
find  in  any  other  country  such  attentive  and  well- 
trained  help  as  is  the  standard  which  has  been  set 
by  our  English  cousins. 

It  is  true  that  in  the  United  States  our  very  limita- 
tions in  this  matter  have  compelled  us  to  adopt 
many  reforms  in  our  home  life.  By  necessity  we 
had  to  simplify  our  habits  and  introduce  labor-sav- 
ing devices. 

The  traditional  English  portable  tub,  which  is 
brought  in  the  morning  into  your  sleeping  room. 


ENGLAND   AND    SCOTLAND.  27 


'A   few  miles   farther  on   we  reached   Snitterfield. 


'The  church  where  he    (Shakespeare)    lies  buried." 


28  ENGLAND    AND    SCOTLAND. 

the  running  backward  and  forward  with  hot  water 
in  shining  brass  pitchers,  the  many  Httle  open  fires 
in  each  room  of  the  house,  are  all  very  quaint  and 
charming  English  customs,  but  they  involve  a  tre- 
mendous amount  of  extra  work,  which  has  been 
rendered  superfluous  by  our  more  modern  house 
installations. 

During  the  week  we  stayed  with  our  friends  we 


"At  Ann  Hatliaway's  cottage." 

drove  to  Stratford-on-Avon,  Shakespeare's  birth- 
place. At  Ann  Hathaway 's  cottage,  as  well  as  at 
Shakespeare's  house  and  the  church  where  he  lies 
buried,  we  noticed,  by  the  numerous  American 
names  in  the  visitors'  books,  that  transatlantic  trav- 
elers furnish  the  larger  number  of  pilgrims  to  this 
shrine  of  early  literature. 

Our   friends   had   another  treat   in   store   for  us 


ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND.  2y 

when  they  announced  we  w^ere  to  witness  the  famous 
"historical  pageant"  at  Warwick  Castle. 

A  few  miles'  drive  brought  us  to  the  mediaeval- 
looking  town  of  Warwick;  the  place  seemed  much 
astir  in  expectation  of  the  coming  event.  The  streets 
were  crowded  \yith  carriages  and  automobiles  from 
almost  all  parts  of  the  country.  On  the  big  lawn 
of  the  castle  gardens,  where  the,  performance  was 
to  take  place,  had  been  erected  an  enormous  wooden 
stand,  protected  against  sun  and  rain  and  provided 
with  ample  seating  capacity  for  thousands  of  spec- 
tators. Although  the  better  seats  were  sold  at  a 
guinea  apiece,  every  place  seemed  to  be  taken. 

The  performance  itself  was  given  on  the  spacious 
lawn,  admirably  adapted  for  this  purpose.  It  was 
screened  with  a  fitting  background  of  fine  trees 
and  shrubs  and  bordered  on  the  left  by  the  peaceful 
River  Avon. 

All  the  performers  were  amateurs,  and  among 
them  many  well-known  people  of  the  town  or  neigh- 
borhood. 

That  these  men  and  women  knew  how  to  ride  a 
horse  gracefully  was  abundantly  shown  by  their 
imposing  display  as  armored  knights  and  ladies  of 
the  ancient  nobility. 

The  show  was  intended  to  represent  a  synopsis  of 
the  history  of  the  town  of  Warwick,  from  the  early 
times  to  the  more  modern  periods. 

The  whole  thing  was  certainly  a  great  success, 
and  it  was  obvious  that  all  the  performers  were 
imbued  with  the  spirit  of  the  play.  In  fact,  while 
the  pageant  was  repeated  every  day  for  about  a 
week,  almost  all  regular  trade  or  business  in  town 


30  ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND. 

was  discontinued.  Not  only  did  the  townspeople 
have  their  heads  full  of  their  assumed  roles,  but 
quite  a  few  could  hardly  descend  to  trivial  daily 
occupations  while  their  minds  were  filled  with  the 
exalted  characters  they  were  impersonating. 

After  the  representation  was  over,  I  was  much 
amused  to  see  the  streets  of  the  town  filled  with 
performers,  who  were  hurrying  home,  in  all  com- 
binations of  historical  and  modern  dress ;  some  iron- 
clad knights  were  carrying  their  steel  helmets  on 
their  arms  and  had  donned  black  derby  hats ;  others 
showed  their  colored  tights  and  spurred  top-boots 
below  the  latest  fashion  cravenette  coats.  The  ladies 
in  waiting  of  Queen  Elizabeth  rushed  away  on  bi- 
cycles, furiously  ringing  their  bells,  their  long,  flow- 
ing robes  of  every  hue  and  color  folded  over  the 
frames  of  their  machines  so  as  to  avoid  unwelcome 
complications  with  the  revolving  wheels  or  pedals. 

Warwick  town  is  like  a  dream  of  the  Middle 
Ages.  The  old  gates  and  many  houses  of  an  early 
period  give  it  an  unforgettable  appearance. 

We  had  eagerly  accepted  the  kind  invitation  of 
the  canon  of  the  Leicester  Hospital  to  take  tea  at 
his  venerable  institution.  The  canon  himself,  as 
well  as  his  daughter,  had  just  returned  from  the 
pageant,  where  they  had  been  among  the  principal 
performers.  Their  historical  dress  came  out  to  good 
effect  while  they  were  leading  us  through  a  tour 
of  inspection  of  these  quaint  old  buildings,  which, 
ever  since  Leicester  founded  the  hospital  in  1^7 1, 
have  provided  board  and  lodging  for  twelve  poor 
inmates  or  ''brothers."  What  is  most  remarkable 
is  that  the  half-timbered  structure  has  been  kept 


ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND.  31 


'The  performance  was  given  on  the  spacious  lawn." 


"As   to   Warwi(.n.    c<i=.i.^,    it   is   imposing   enough. 


32  ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND. 

with  so  much  care  that  its  well-painted  woodwork 
looks  as  if  it  might  have  been  made  but  yesterday. 
Among  the  curiosities  shown  us  was  a  piece  of 
needlework  made  by  Amy  Robsart. 

As  to  Warwick  Castle,  it  is  imposing  enough,  but 
the  place  was  now  filled  with  visitors  and  we  pre- 
ferred to  return  some  other  day  when  quiet  should 
reign  again  around  this  gray  old  palace. 

This  we  did  two  days  later.  We  went  away  In  the 
afternoon,  and  passing  through  Warwick,  first 
drove  to  Kenilworth,  which  lies  about  five  miles 
further. 

The  majestic  ruin  of  red  sandstone  dominates, 
with  an  air  of  undying  haughtiness,  the  surround- 
ing green  fields  below.  With  the  remembrance  of 
Walter's  Scott's  famous  novel,  our  thoughts  reverted 
to  the  former  days  of  splendor  of  this  castle,  when 
Queen  Elizabeth  was  festively  entertained  by  the 
unworthy  favorite  to  whom  she  had  made  a  royal 
present  of  this  baronial  domain. 

During  our  visit  to  Kenilworth  we  had  the  good 
fortune  to  be  accompanied  by  the  parents  of  our 
friends  of  Snitterfield,  and  a  very  interesting  couple 
they  were.  The  gentleman  was  a  retired  colonel  of 
the  British  army,  erect  in  bearing,  with  youthful 
eyes,  a  neatly  trimmed  white  beard  and  a  ruddy 
complexion.  He  was  dressed  in  a  very  becoming 
Norfolk  suit  and  knickerbockers ;  one  could  scarcely 
imagine  that  this  cheerful  man  with  the  boyish  face 
was  a  veteran  of  the  Crimean  War  and  the  Indian 
Mutiny.  His  wife,  a  splendid  example  of  an  Eng- 
lish lady  of  culture  and  refinement,  was  an  agree- 
able conversationalist,  bright,  witty,  and  full  of  in- 


ENGLAND   AND    SCOTLAND.  M 


The  Leicester  Hospital. 


'Our  thoughts  reverted  to  the  former  dayc,  ^.  .,.....-._.  „i  this  castle." 


34  ENGLAND   AND    SCOTLAND. 

terest  in  everything  she  saw.  Her  handsome  white 
hair  imparted  the  dignity  of  age,  and  yet  she 
cHmbed  the  ruins  vigorously,  without  any  assist- 
ance, just  as  well  as  any  of  us. 

When  we  returned  to  Warwick  Castle,  we  were 
glad  to  find  that  we  were  almost  the  only  visitors. 

After  paying  an  entrance  fee  at  the  porter's  lodge, 
we  walked  through  the  picturesque  road,  cut 
straight  through  the  rock,  the  sides  forming  two 
perpendicular  walls,  covered  with  green  moss  and 
creeping  plants. 

On  arriving  at  the  large  outer  court,  this  combi- 
nation of  green  lawns  and  robust  trees,  with  the 
stern  gray  of  the  old  Roman  towers,  gave  me  the 
impression  of  youth  intertwining  with  antiquity. 

This  same  idea  seemed  to  follow  me  when  visit- 
ing the  beautiful  apartments  of  the  residential  part 
of  the  castle,  where  the  cold  and  stiff  decoration  of 
former  days  seemed  to  have  been  deftly  touched  up, 
so  as  to  bring  it  more  into  harmony  with  refined 
modern  taste. 

A  rather  obsequious  and  pedantic  guide  took  us 
through  the  different  rooms.  Upon  being  shown  a 
set  of  Roman  swords  which  looked  as  bright  as 
if  they  had  been  manufactured  recently,  I  could 
scarcely  refrain  from  asking  whether  there  was  any 
doubt  as  to  their  authenticity,  to  which,  rather  dis- 
turbed and  in  a  slow,  drawling  voice,  he,' the  guide, 
answered : 

"I  —  myself  —  tell  —  you  —  they — ARE — antique 
Ro-man  swords." 

I  did  not  make  any  further  inquiries,  nor  ex- 
press any  doubt  after  this  haughty  rebuke,  which 


ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND.  35 

did  not  prevent  our  cicerone  from  meekly  stretching 
his  palm  for  the  customary  tip  when  we  left. 

That  the  castle  was  not  a  "dead  one,"  like  so 
many  others  of  the  kind,  but  was  very  much  alive 
and  in  running  order,  was  impressed  upon  us  while 
we  were  being  led  through  the  many  apartments; 
in  one  of  the  splendid  halls  the  flower-bedecked 
table  was  being  set  for  the  entertainment  of  the 
guests  of  the  Countess. 

The  Countess  of  Warwick  is  noted  for  her  great 
beauty,  and  because  in  her  writing  and  speeches  she 
has  openly  defended  socialism. 

All  this,  together  with  her  lavish  way  of  spending 
money,  has  made  quite  a  sensation  in  England. 

As  to  the  Earl  of  Warwick,  I  was  told  that  he 
enjoys  more  the  hunting  of  big  game  in  the  African 
jungle  than  staying  in  his  castle,  where  he  is  seldom 
to  be  seen. 

I  was  told,  also,  that  the  friends  of  the  family,  in 
order  to  prevent  the  breaking  up  of  the  estate,  had 
organized  a  limited  liability  company,  and  after 
heavily  insuring  the  lives  of  the  present  owners, 
were  paying  to  them  an  annuity  of  £5,000. 

The  following  day  we  were  to  take  leave  of  our 
hospitable  friends  and  continue  our  journey. 

At  the  early  morning  breakfast,  where,  according 
to  delightful  English  custom,  everybody  helps  him- 
self from  a  well-provided  side  table,  we  were  greeted 
by  the  festive  display  of  the  intertwining  flags  of 
Great  Britain  and  the' United  States. 

Our  hosts,  by  this  delicate  attention,  reminded  us 
that  this  was  the  Fourth  of  July ;  and  a  gloriously 
fine  day  it  was ! 


36  ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND. 

When  the  time  of  our  departure  drew  near,  our 
friends,  with  their  other  guests,  all  assembled  around 
the  car,  which  stood  purring  in  the  courtyard.  Many 
good-bys  and  an  revoirs  were  exchanged;  a  last 
handshake,  a  "honk-honk"  of  the  horn,  a  rrrtch  of 
the  clutch,  and  with  a  waving  of  the  flags  we  were 
off,  bearing  with  us  a  thankful  remembrance  of  our 
enjoyable  visit  and  our  charming  hosts. 

Over  pleasant  country  roads  we  drove,  passnig 
Henley-in-Arden  and  Sherley,  and  by  and  by  we 
noticed  in  the  distance  a  dark  haze,  which  seemed 
to  obscure  the  sky.  After  a  while  we  could  distin- 
guish the  straight  lines  of  tall  chimneys  and  build- 
ings. The  road,  too,  became  dustier  and  more 
traveled.  We  were  nearing  Birmingham,  the  great 
manufacturing  centre. 

Following  the  tracks  of  the  trolley  cars,  we  passed 
through  agglomerations  of  houses,  and  shortly  after- 
ward found  our  way  to  the  heart  of  the  busy,  smoky 
city.  Entering  the  bank  district,  I  was  reminded  how 
advisable  it  was^  while  motor  touring,  to  be  always 
provided  with  enough  cash  for  unforeseen  occur- 
rences, so  I  stopped  long  enough  to  present  my  let- 
ter of  credit,  after  which  we  left  the  town,  glad  at 
the  thought  of  being  again  in  the  bright  and  cheer- 
ful open  country. 

Somewhat  bumpy  during  the  first  miles,  the  road 
soon  became  excellent,  and  after  passing  Lichfield 
the  good  and  hard  surface  was  almost  level  and  very 
suitable  for  speeding. 

Burton-on-Trent  was  easily  recognized  by  its  all- 
pervading  odor  of  beer,  malt  and  hops  when  we  were 
driving  through  the  streets,  lined  with  smoky  brick 


ENGLAND   AND    SCOTLAND. 


Z7 


buildings,  all  parts  of  huge  breweries,  covering  hun- 
dreds of  acres  of  land. 

We  next  went  through  Derby,  the  county  town 
of  Derbyshire ;  then  over  a  route  of  increasing  pic- 
turesqueness  we  passed  Driffield,  Helper  and  Mat- 
lock liath.  At  the  latter  town  the  scenery  became 
so  pretty  that  we  concluded  to  stop  there  over  night. 
The  remainder  of  the  afternoon  was  employed  jn 


'We  wend  our  way  to  the  heart  of  the  busy,  smoky  city. 


walks  around  the  town,  which  seemed  to  be  a  rather 
popular  resort.  Crowds  of  visitors,  arriving  and 
departing  incessantly  in  ''traps"  or  "char-a-bancs," 
take  away  the  impression  of  quietude  which  would 
better  agree  with  this  otherwise  lovely  little  place. 

The  Derwent  River  has  mined  here  an  abrupt 
gorge  in  the  limestone  cliffs,  producing  a  rather 
striking  landscape  effect. 


38  ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND. 

Several  petrifying  wells,  which  coat  any  object 
suspended  in  the  water  with  an  incrustation  of  lime- 
stone, are  some  of  the  curiosities  of  the  place. 

Instead  of  using  the  ordinary  bathtub,  we  tried 
the  next  morning  the  "tepid  swimming  bath  fed  by 
a  natural  spring,"  as  advertised.  In  the  cellar  of  the 
hotel  we  found  indeed  a  sort  of  large  cement  tank, 
fyied  with  bluish  transparent  water,  which  looked 
very  attractive,  but  the  icy  cold  feeling  after  the 
first  plunge  convinced  me  that  the  official  tempera- 
ture of  68°  Fahr,  should  not  be  taken  for  granted. 
A  few  minutes'  swimming  in  that  tank  was  enough 
for  me,  yet  the  sensation  was  very  invigorating. 
After  breakfast  it  was  suggested  to  us  that  we 
should  go  and  see  one  of  the  several  grottoes  of 
Matlock;  we  were  persuaded  to  visit  the  Cumber- 
land Cavern,  which  was  said  to  be  the  most  impor- 
tant one.  A  hot  climb  over  a  little  footpath  on  the 
hill  brought  us  to  the  entrance  of  the  cave.  At  this 
early  hour  we  were  the  only  visitors,  and  the  guide 
seemed  somewhat  disturbed  at  the  idea  of  going 
through  the  whole  performance  for  only  two  cus- 
tomers. 

He  gave  us  each  a  lighted  tallow  candle  and  bade 
us  follow  him,  he  carrying  a  pack  of  candles,  which 
,he  lighted  one  by  one  and  planted  at  intervals  along 
the  dark  and  narrow  passage  in  the  rock.  Our  path 
went  twisting  and  winding,  now  between  fallen 
fragments  of  rocks,  then  again  descending  over 
clumsily  hewn  stairs.  Sometimes  the  passage  be- 
came so  low  that  we  were  obliged  to  stoop  to  the 
point  of  almost  crouching  on  hands  and  feet,  and  we 
fully  realized  the  ridiculousness  of  our  positions, 


ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND. 


39 


'The  Derwent  River  has  mined  here  an  abrupt  gorge  in  the  limestone 
cliffs." 


'Our  route   followed  the  pretty   Derwent,    with  rows  of   houses  and 
shops  lining   the   way." 


40  ENGLAND   AND    SCOTLAND. 

because  there  was  absolutely  nothing  remarkable  in 
this  limestone  cave — no  stalactites,  nor  high-vaulted 
chambers,  nor  any  of  the  usual  geological  curiosities 
which  are  so  interesting  in  some  other  grottoes. 

While  we  were  crouching  on  and  trying  not  to 
bump  our  heads  against  protruding  rocks  nor  bruise 
our  shins  against  sharp  corners,  the  guide  would 


"Ve  olde  Kli/.abtthan  liostLlrye,  the  Peacock  Inn, 
where  we  stopped." 

now  and  then  drop  his  natural  voice  and  start  ha- 
ranguing as  if  we  were  an  assembly  of  a  hundred 
persons.  In  a  loud,  preaching  tone  he  would  declaim 
the  wonders  of  this  cave,  while  we  were  kept  in 
our  stooped  position,  and  then  suddenly  he  would 
resume  his  colloquial  and  meek  English. 

When,  finally,  we  emerged,  dirty  and  hot,  from 
that  cave,  the  wiser  for  our  experience,  we  noticed 


ENGLAND   AND    SCOTLAND.  41 

a  waiting  group  of  newly  arrived  victims,  who  all 
seemed  very  eagbr  to  go  through  the  same  ordeal. 

l>y  the  time  we  returned  to  the  hotel  we  found 
our  motor  car  waiting  f(5r  us,  and  our  ride  procured 
us  a  very  welcome  rest.  For  the  first  two  miles  our 
route  followed  the  pretty  Derwent,  with  rows  of 
houses  and  shops  lining  the  way.  A  few  miles  fur- 
ther on  we  arrived  at  Rowsley  Station,  from  where 
we  intended  to  visit  Haddon  Hall  and  Chatsworth. 

I  knew  of  "ye  olde  Elizabethan  hostelrye,"  the 
Peacock  Inn,  where  we  stopped.  A  simple  yet 
excellent  lunch,  improved  by  a  bracing  glass  of  best 
port  wine,  was  just  as  much  appreciated  by  us,  mod- 
ern automobilists,  as  it  must  have  been  by  the  long 
departed  travelers  who  visited  the  place  in  the  time 
of  Shakespeare. 

A  further  short  drive  brought  us  within  sight  of 
Haddon  Hall,  that  charming  and  well-preserved  ex- 
ample of  a  baronial  manor  of  the  Middle  Ages. 
Graceful  to  the  extreme,  with  its  parapeted  towers, 
it  stands  there  as  a  picture  of  fairyland,  surrounded 
by  smiling  meadows,  where  the  clear  waters  of  the 
little  Wye  run  murmuring  along,  and  some  clusters 
of  old  elm  trees  provide  a  shady  shelter  for  groups 
of  lazy-looking  cattle. 

I  felt  as  if  I  was  suddenly  transported  to  a  world 
several  centuries  older,  when  standing  in  that  old 
banqueting  hall,  where  formerly  the  lord  of  the 
manor,  his  family,  friends  and  retainers  dined  in  the 
same  room  and  listened  to  the  songs  of  the  min- 
strels in  the  gallery  above. 

There  was  that  significant  iron  handcuff  fastened 
to  the  wall,  a  punishment  intended  for  whoever  did 


42  ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND. 

not,  in  good  grace,  empty  his  massive  bumper  when 
the  health  of  the  king  was  pledged.  ''Dred  God  and 
Honour  the  Kyng"  is  the  family  motto  carved  in  the 
wainscoted  apartments.        • 

Of  the  Vernons,  it  was  said  that  squire  after 
squire  of  this  family  strove  to  excel  his  predecessor 
in  old  English  hospitality.  To  the  truth  of  this 
statement,  the  spacious  old  kitchen,  with  its  various 
cooking  utensils  of  former  times,  stands  as  a  mute 
yet  convincing  witness. 

The  romance  of  Dorothy  Vernon  has  contributed, 
in  no  little  measure,  to  render  the  old  castle  interest- 
ing to  the  never-ceasing  pairs  of  lovers  who  delight 
in  visiting  the  scene  of  the  story  of  Dorothy,  the 
beautiful  youngest  daughter  of  Sir  George  Vernon, 
"whose  magnificence  was  princely  and  hospitality 
profuse." 

There  still  is  Dorothy's  garden;  there  also  is  the 
beautiful  avenue  known  as  Dorothy's  Walk,  while 
the  fine  stone  balustrade  at  Dorothy's  door,  shaded 
by  ivy  and  sycamore,  seems  to  invite  young  couples 
to  repeat  their  whispers  of  love. 

From  this  very  door  the  heiress  of  Haddon  stole 
out  in  the  moonlight  to  meet  the  man  of  her  choice, 
John  Manners,  a  son  of  the  Earl  of  Rutland.  The 
connection  was  very  much  opposed  by  her  family, 
and  for  this  reason  she  was  closely  watched,  kept 
almost  a  prisoner,  while  her  eldest  sister  was  feasted 
and  honored  as  the  affianced  bride  of  the  second  son 
of  the  Earl  of  Derby. 

One  festive  night,  when  many  guests  thronged  the 
ballroom  and  while  the  instruments  of  the  minstrels 
were  playing  to  the  dancers,  the  young  beauty  of 


ENGLAND   AND    SCOTLAND.  43 


'Graceful  to  the  extreme,  it  stands  there  as  a  picture  of  fairyland. 


that   old   banqueting  hall.' 


44  ENGLAND   AND    SCOTLAND. 

Haddon  Hall  slipped  away  unobserved,  into  the 
shadow  of  the  big  trees,  where  her  lover,  disguised 
as  a  woodman,  was  waiting  for  her.  Shortly  after- 
ward a  fast  pair  of  horses  were  flying  with  them,  in 
the  moonlight,  over  the  roads  to  Leicestershire, 
where  the  next  morning  they  were  married. 

In  our  times  they  might  have  used  a  motor  car. 
This  was  the  very  natural  thought  which  came  up 
when  we  re-entered  our  limousine  en  route  for 
Chatsworth  House,  the  seat  of  the  Duke  of  Devon- 
shire. The  great  size  and  splendor  of  this  modern 
palace  made*  a  ^strong  contrast  with  the  quaintness 
of  Haddon  Hall. 

Its  stately  pleasure  grounds,  fountains,  parks,  im- 
mense greenhouses  and  the  style  of  the  building 
itself  give  it  an  imposing  although  somewhat  stiff 
appearance. 

The  spacious  halls  and  apartments  of  the  palace, 
with  their  paintings,  sculptures  and  other  works  of 
art,  produce  more  the  impression  of  a  state  museum 
than  of  a  private  residence. 

The  steady  throng  of  visitors  increases  this  feel- 
ing. There,  as  at  almost  any  place  of  interest  in 
England  and  Scotland,  we  found  a  continuous  come 
and  go  of  sight-seeing,  holiday  crowds,  arriving  in 
char-a-bancs  filled  to  the  limit.  While  driving 
through  the  park  grounds  we  had  outdistanced  some 
of  them,  but  when  we  reached  the  entrance  we  found 
several  of  these  vehicles  that  had  arrived  before, 
their  passengers  waiting  for  admission.  We  were 
divided  in  parties  of  about  fifty  each,  and  each  group 
was  admitted  at  intervals  and  escorted  by  a  guide. 

Our  guide  was  a  woman  about  forty  years  ol^, 


ENGLAND   AND    SCOTLAND.  45 


.    into  the  sliadows  of  the  big  trees. 


the  fine  stone  balustrade  at  Dorothy's  door.    .    .    ." 


46 


ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND. 


ENGLAND   AND    SCOTLAND.  47 

with  a  very  decided  growth  of  hair  on  her  upper 
Hp.  While  taking  us  through  the  different  rooms 
every  motion  she  made,  every  word  she  spoke  was 
so  mechanical  as  to  remind  us  involuntarily  of  some 
automaton.  I  suppose  she  had  repeated  her  part  so 
often  that  it  became  her  custom  to  use  not  a  motion, 
not  a  word,  nor  a  gesture,  if  they  could  be  avoided. 
In  each  room  visited  she  placed  herself  in  the  mid- 
dle, and  there,  immobile  as  a  statue,  her  eyes  in 
vacant  stare,  she  waited  until  everybody  had  assem- 
bled. Then,  without  moving  a  muscle,  except  her 
lips,  she  started  explaining  in  a  most  unusual  way, 
dropping  her  half  sentences,  one  after  another,  as  if 
counting  them. 

"The   old   room state   bedroom before 

you coronation  chair  of  George  the  Fourth 

the  other of  Queen  Adelaide-^ ,"  and  thus  she 

kept  on,  while  we  were  hurried  from  one  room  to 
another. 

After  a  less  rapid  visit  through  the  gardens  we 
returned  to  our  car  and  drove  leisurely  through  the 
large  park  grounds,  with  their  herds  of  tame  deer; 
we  drove  back  to  Rowsley,  and  from  there  to  Bake- 
well.  Here  the  road  began  to  ascend  for  about 
three  miles,  with  grades  ranging  about  7  per  cent. 
This  brought  us  to  an  altitude  of  1,200  feet,  in  a 
decidedly  pretty  but  hilly  landscape. 

The  fine  road  now  allowed  us  a  steady  coasting 
down  for  about  two  miles,  then  we  had  another 
short  climb,  and  arrived  in  Buxton.  Our  day  had 
been  well  filled  and  we  felt  rather  tired ;.  we  were 
glad  to  find  that  there  was  a  very  comfortable  mod- 
ern hotel,  the  Empire  Hotel,  but  situated  somewhat 


48  ENGLAND   AND    SCOTLAND. 

out  of  the  town.  The  hotel  advertises  a  garage,  but 
the  latter  is  of  entirely  insufficient  size,  and  we  were 
compelled,  to  our  inconvenience,  to  send  our  car  to 
the  other  end  of  the  town. 

On  the  other  hand,  we  found  the  hotel  accommo- 
dations excellent.  We  were  very  much  in  need  of 
a  few  days'  rest,  and  we  decided  that  they  could  be 
found  here  better  than  any^yhere  else. 

Buxton  is  one  of  the  three  chief  inland  watering 
places  in  England.  The  pretty  little  town  is  situated 
at  an  altitude  of  about  i,ooo  feet,  and  is  known  for 
its  bracing  climate. 

Five  days  were  spent  here  in  leisurely  succession. 
One  evening  we  went  to  the  theatre  to  see  "Ham- 
let." The  leading  actors  were  excellent.  The  the- 
atre was  elegantly  built  and  tastefully  furnished,  but 
never  have  I  seen  such  a  wretched  stage  setting. 
Even  in  little  out-of-the-way  playhouses  in  some 
Western  mining  camps  matters  could  not  be  wprse 
or  more  rudimentary. 

Another  evening  we  attended  a  different  play.  In 
both  instances  there  was  a  very  small  attendance.  I 
do  not  know  whether  it  was  the  English  tempera- 
ture, the  result  of  the  play  or  the  general  spirit  of 
the  place,  but  every  time  we  walked  back  to  the 
hotel  fairly  shivering. 

The  following  day  there  was  a  surprise  in  store 
for  me  at  the  garage.  My  chauffeur,  in  backing  out 
of  the  building,  had  touched  a  round  watering  tank 
which  stood  almost  in  front  of  the  barn  door.  The 
tank  was  made  of  stone  slabs  cemented  together.  I 
learned  that  similar  accidents  had  happened  before, 
with  the  result  that  the  slabs  had  become  cracked 


ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND.  49 

and  recemented,  but  now  they  had  become  loose 
again. 

The  manager,  seeing  a  good  chance  to  make  a  new 
tank  at  my  expense,  had  promptly  put  several  men 
to  work  before  I  was  even  informed  of  the  matter, 
and  when  I  arrived  I  found  they  had  made  a  mag- 
nificent cement  tank,  and  I  was  handed  a  bill  for 
$21.  My  gentle  protest  that  I  was  willing  to  pay 
for  repairs,  but  not  for  erecting  a  new  tank,  drew 
forth  such  an  abundant  flow  of  insolence  that  I  pre- 
pared to  submit  to  extortion  rather  than  to  engage 
in  a  contest  of  Billingsgate  language,  where  I  was 
sure  to  be  worsted. 

The  following  day  we  left  for  Manchester.  It 
was  raining  for  the  first  time  since  we  left  London. 
This  compelled  us  to  close  some  of  the  windows,  but 
we  found  compensation  in  the  thought  that  rain 
would  lay  the  dust,  which,  during  the  preceding  dry 
period,  had  kept  increasing. 

With  our  usual  good  luck  we  soon  saw  the 
weather  clearing  just  as  we  started  to  ascend  a  long 
slope.  A  fine  road  brought  us  amidst  a  pretty  land- 
scape, with  broad  views,  over  distant  hills,  in  many 
directions. 

The  car  took  the  climb  at  a  nice  gait,  and  after 
we  had  reached  an  altitude  of  1,500  feet  we  started 
on  a  gentle  downward  grade  for  about  five  miles, 
until  we  reached  Whaley  Bridge.  At  Hazelgrove 
the  excellent  macadam  road  changed  into  pavement. 
The  latter  was  not  so  bad  as  we  expected  at  the 
beginning. 

We  now  were  entering  the  densely  populated  dis- 
trict which  surrounds  Manchester  for  several  miles. 


50  ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND. 

Increased  traffic,  trolley  cars  and  slippery  pavement 
compelled  us  to  drive  cautiously. 

A  smoky  haze,  which  gave  a  dark  appearance  to 
all  houses,  increased  all  the  time,  and  through  Sal- 
ford  we  entered  Manchester.  Having  just  left  the 
green  and  cheerful  country,  and  now  merging  into 
this  smoky  city  on  a  hazy  day,  we  could  hardly  re- 
press a  feeling  of  revulsion  at  the  sight  of  the  grimy 
houses  and  sombre  public  buildings,  which  looked 
as  if  they  had  all  been  coated  with  dull  black  paint. 
We  managed  to  squeeze  our  way  between  numerous 
vehicles  over  the  slippery,  greasy  pavement,  reach- 
ing thus  the  Midland  Hotel,  where  we  intended  to 
stay  for  several  days. 

I  was  very  favorably  impressed  with  this  large 
and  well-appointed  hotel,  which  is  a  side  enterprise 
of  the  Midland  Railway.  In  many  places  in  Great 
Britain  the  railroads  have  taken  the  initiative  in 
providing  model  hotels  in  immediate  proximity  to 
the  station,  thereby  increasing  the  pleasure  and  com- 
fort of  traveling. 

My  only  reason  for  staying  in  Manchester  was  to 
participate  in  the  annual  meeting  of  a  scientific  so- 
ciety. This  gave  me  an  excellent  chance  of  becom- 
ing acquainted  with  some  of  the  admirable  educa- 
tional institutions  of  the  big  industrial  city.  A  town 
like  Manchester,  where  seems  to  be  concentrated  the 
ceaseless  activity  of  England,  cannot  be  expected  to 
present  herself  in  Sunday  clothes.  From  an  aesthetic 
standpoint,  a  place  of  toil  and  energy,  where  wealth 
is  made,  cannot  fail  to  be  less  attractive  than  a  holi- 
day resort  like  Paris,  where  money  is  spent.  Never- 
theless, we  should  bear  in  mind  that  just  such  cities 


ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND. 


51 


Situated  at  an  altitude  of  about  one  thousand   feet,   and  is  known 
for  its  bracing  climate." 


'Somebody    has   called   it   the   'Municipal    Palace.'  " 


52  ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND. 

as  Manchester  and  Birmingham  have  always  been 
foremost  for  Hberal  and  modern  ideas. 

A  not  inconsiderable  portion  of  England  has  a 
tendency  toward  ''respectable/'  easy-going,  self- 
satisfied,  proud  conservatism,  and  this  may  be  one 
of  the  reasons  why,  in  some  matters,  Albion  has  not 
been  able  to  keep  among  nations  that  foremost  place 
it  once  occupied.  Among  other  things,  the  English 
system  of  higher  and  lower  education  has  become 
rather  antiquated  and  insufficient  for  modern  re- 
quirements. 

Oxford  may  have  a  venerable  name  and  a  proud 
history,  yet  it  is  not  this  old  town  to  which  young 
America  travels,  but  to  Germany,  when  post-graduate 
education  is  wanted.  On  the  other  hand,  Birming- 
ham and  Manchester  have  always  by  their  own  ini- 
tiative tried  to  keep  abreast  of  the  times. 

The  Victoria  University  of  Manchester  may  not 
have  the  antiquity  nor  the  mellowed  traditions  of 
some  older  colleges  of  England,  yet  as  a  modern 
institute  of  learning  it  is  certainly  better  adapted  for 
its  purposes. 

The  same  can  be  said  of  the  Municipal  School  of 
Technology ;  although  I  am  fairly  well  acquainted 
with  the  subject  I  am  not  aware  that  in  any  other 
country  has  a  more  successful  attempt  been  made 
toward  the  practical  study  of  sciences  as' applied  to 
technical  arts. 

I  purposely  do  not  dwell  upon  the  great  archi- 
tectural merits  of  the  buildings,  because  in  late 
years,  especially  in  America,  the  tendency  of  some 
well-meaning  but  misinformed  persons  of  often  at- 
taching too  much  importance  to  the  architectural 


ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND.  53 

features  of  educational  institutions.  Such  people 
overlook  the  fact  that  no  amount  of  money  spent 
on  buildings  pr  ornaments  can  compensate  for  the 
want  of  the  proper  spirit  or  the  lack  of  good  teach- 
ers in  any  school,  however  proudly  may  sound  its 
name. 

At  a  reception  of  the  Lord  Mayor,  a  splendid  and 
elaborate  function,  we  had  a  chance  to  admire  the 
exquisitely  well-built  town  hall.  This  modest  name 
hardly  conveys  the  idea  of  the  magnificent  propor- 
tions and  the  tasteful  interior  decoration  of  this 
striking  achievement  of  modern  architecture.  Some- 
body has  called  it,  very  appropriately,  the  "Munic- 
ipal Palace." 

Finally,  the  many  days  of  visits,  sightseeing,  ban- 
quets and  receptions  were  over,  and  we  left  Manches- 
ter in  the  early  afternoon  of  the  14th  of  July.  At 
first  we  drove  through  what  seemed  to  us  an  endless 
succession  of  small  industrial  towns,  with  monoto- 
nous rows  of  poorly  kept  workmen's  houses.  A 
rather  cheerless  district,  reminding  one  forcibly  of 
similar  places  near  the  coal  mines  of  Pennsylvania. 

Why  is  it  that  in  all  countries  the  neighborhood 
of  coal  mines  should  give  such  a  gloomy,  poverty- 
stricken  appearance  to  villages  or  towns  ? 

I  ask  myself  how  people  living  in  such  doleful 
surroundings  can  ever  have  a  cheerful  thought.  No 
wonder,  also,  that  under  such  conditions  man  should 
try  to  forget  his  monotonous  existence  and  seek  in 
drink  a  deceitful  impression  of  happiness.  In  such 
places  as  these,  as  well  as  in  the  squalid  quarters 
of  London,  the  "pubs,"  that  curse  of  Great  Britain, 
are  well  patronized. 


54  ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND. 

The  average  ''beer  saloon"  of  the  States  leaves 
much  room  for  improvement,  but  at  least  it  is  not 
frequented  by  women,  except,  perhaps^  in  some  very 
disreputable  resorts.  And  what  women !  Women 
in  rags,  some  old,  some  young;  some  accompanied 
by  children ;  but  the  very  appearance  of  all  of  them 
showing  the  hopeless  slovenliness  of  their  existence. 
What  an  example  for  their  children,  and  what  off- 
spring will  such  creatures  bear? 

Usually  the  bar  is  entered  by  two  different  doors, 
one  the  "private  entrance,"  the  other  the  "public 
entrance."  The  former  accommodates  the  custom- 
ers who  claim  a  certain  degree  of  respectability,  as 
far  as  respectability  goes  among  them;  the  latter 
takes  in  the  very  flotsam  and  jetsam  of  the  popula- 
tion. 

There  stands  a  limping,  unwashed  tramp  next  to 
a  workman  who  has  just  left  the  mill  and  is  now 
spending  his  hard-earned  money.  He  is  elbowed  by 
a  shabbily  dressed  old  woman  with  glassj  eyes  and 
a  tired  smile  6ver  her  wrinkled  face.  If  her  maudlin 
talk  did  not  show  it,  her  unsteady  gait  would  tell 
you  that  she  is  already  intoxicated,  although  she 
asks  for  more.  Everything  is  served  at  the  same 
counter;  but  the  latter  is  separated  by  screens,  so 
that  one  compartment  is  not  visible  from  the  other. 
Over  this  all  presides  the  well-dressed,  carefully 
coiffured,  smiling,  yet  stiff  and  business-like  bar- 
maid. Now  and  then  she  gives  a  short  word  in 
answer  to  a  question  from  a  customer,  intermingled 
with  a  giggle  and  a  smile  to  another  frequenter  of 
the  place.  Always  polite,  always  business-like,  she 
seems  oblivious  to  the  anomaly  of  her  position. 


ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND.  55 

It  is  strange  to  hear  it  affirmed,  by  people  who 
ought  to  know,  that  these  young  barmaids  almost 
all  lead  a  correct  life,  and  regard  their  situation  as 
if  they  were  dispensing  drugs  in  a  drug  store. 

The  sight  of  drunken  women  in  the  streets  is  not 
uncommon  all  over  Great  Britain.  In  places  like 
Glasgow  I  have  seen  them  unable  to  walk,  so  that 
the  policemen  had  to  put  them  on  a  stretcher  and 
carry  them  to  the  next  police  station,  while  their 
shrieks  were  heard  at  a  great  distance.  All  this  is 
certainly  the  darkest  side  in  the  life  of  Britain's 
lower  classes.  It  is  a  very  sore  spot  in  the  develop- 
ment of  a  country  which  in  other  tendencies  shows 
several  conditions  of  superiority  over  other  nations. 

These  were  the  ideas  which  forced  themselves 
upon  me  while  we  were  leaving  Manchester.  They 
disappeared  as  soon  as  I  saw  again  the  green  coun- 
try. Bolton  and  Horwick  were  passed,  and  over  a 
somewhat  undulating  road  we  reached  Preston. 
From  here  on  our  rotate  improved  still  more  and 
the  landscape  became  much  prettier.  After  run- 
ning through  Garstang  we  had  to  drive  cautiously 
through  the  narrow  and  crowded  streets  of  old 
Lancaster.  We  next  arrived  at  Kendal,  a  pretty 
little  town  which  bears  evidences  of  its  antique 
origin. 

There  we  could  not  withstand  the  temptation  to 
buy  some  fine-looking  bananas  which  a  fruit  vendor 
offered  us.  Only  since  a  few  years  ago  are  bananas 
obtainable  in  England.  Now  that  the  Elder-Demp- 
ster Company  has  undertaken  the  regular  importa- 
tion of  fruit  from  the  West  Indies,  bananas  are  as 
common  in  England  as  in  the  United  States,  and 


56  ENGLAND   AND    SCOTLAND. 

have  rapidly  become  a  very  popular  fruit.  Neither 
in  France,  nor  Germany,  nor  Italy,  nor  any  place 
on  the  Continent,  is  it  possible  to  buy  bananas,  ex- 
cept as  a  rare  curiosity,  and  at  correspondingly  high 
prices. 

Fruit  in  England  is  rather  scarce,  even  in  sum- 
mer. Although  the  winters  are  very  mild,  the  sum- 
mers are  too  short  and  too  cold  to  produce  grapes  or 
similar  fruit,  which  require  a  generous  sun  for 
ripening. 

Nevertheless,  large,  delicious  English  strawber- 
ries, far  superior  to  the  less  tasteful  American  vari- 
eties, are  obtainable  at  low  cost  in  the  early  summer. 

They  are  supplemented  by  fine  big  cherries  and 
other  fruit  imported  from  southern  France,  Italy 
and  Spain.  Excellent  Australian  apples  have  lately 
become  a  new  and  very  acceptable  addition  to  the 
fruit  supply  of  Great  Britain.  I  should  mention 
that  later  in  the  summer  there  is  no  lack  of  home- 
grown walnuts  and  hazelnuts. 

Our  road  was  now  skirting  the  famous  lake  dis- 
trict and  a  short  deviation  to  the  west  would  have 
brought  us  in  the  very  centre  of  it;  but  we  knew 
that  our  time  in  England  was  limited  and  that  there 
were  many  other  things  to  see.  We  decided,  there- 
fore, to  postpone  our  visit  to  this  picturesque  part 
of  England  until  some  future  occasion,  when  we 
might  be  able  to  combine  this  trip  with  a  tour 
through  equally  interesting  Cornwall  and  Wales. 

Before  us  we  now  had  a  rapidly  ascending  road, 
but  the  healthy  purring  of  our  excellent  motor  made 
us  feel  that  there  would  be  no  trouble  in  taking  these 
heights.     The  woodlands  were  soon  left  way  below 


ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND.  57 

and  our  view  extended  as  far  as  the  sea.  We  were 
entering  a  region  of  extensive  hills,  barren  of  all 
trees;  the  rocky  surface  was  covered  with  bunchy 
grass,  interspersed  with  blooming  heather.  The 
country  bore  a  strong  resemblance  to  the  Scotch 
Highlands.  After  reaching  an  altitude  of  1,400  feet 
we  could  give  our  engine  a  rest  and  descend  by 
gravity. 

A  small  agglomeration  of  houses  was  the  first 
break  in  the  solitude,  after  many  miles.  Then 
again,  about  ten  miles  lower,  we  passed  the  ancient 
little  town  of  Penrith.  This  fine  and  unfrequented 
road  invited  us  to  increased  speed,  and  by  the  time 
the  sun  was  setting  our  car  flew  humming  into  Car- 
lisle, where  motor  and  passengers  were  soon  housed 
in  the  hotel.  As  there  was  nothing  particularly  in- 
teresting to  keep  us  in  this  town  we  left  the  follow- 
ing morning. 

It  was  a  bright  sunny  day,  but  a  strong  breeze 
was  blowing  and  the  air  was  crisp  and  cold.  Al- 
though we  were  now  in  midsummer,  the  weather 
reminded  me  more  of  the  dry,  cold  November  days 
of  New  York,  and  our  Panama  hats,  strapped  to  the 
ceiling  of  the  limousine,  looked  very  much  out  of 
season.  A  perfect  road,  green  fields,  and  neat  white- 
washed cottages  made  the  combined  impression  we 
received  while  speeding  along.  Gretna  Green !  The 
name  reminded  us  that  this  was  the  first  village  over 
the  Scotch  boundary  line.  Hither,  in  former  times, 
rushed  the  lovesick  couples  whose  matrimonial  aspi- 
rations were  objected  to  by  their  stern  English 
parents.  There,  also,  did  they  undergo  the  Scotch 
rites   of  civil   marriage,   the   ceremony   being  per- 


58  ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND. 

formed  by  the  local  justice  of  the  peace,  who  hap- 
pened to  be  also  the  blacksmith  of  the  village. 

After  about  forty  miles  of  an  almost  level  stretch 
we  reached  Moffat.  A  steady  ascent  for  about  seven 
miles  brought  us  again  over  uninhabited  moorland, 
covered  with  grass  and  heather.  The  only  signs  of 
life  were  now  and  then  a  frightened  grouse  or  part- 
ridge, flying  before  the  hum  of  our  approaching 
motor.  Farther  on,  grazing  sheep  appeared  like  so 
many  tiny  white  specks  on  the  otherwise  uniformly 
green  surface  of  the  hills.  The  road  ran  about  ten 
miles  through  this  Icind  of  country.  Cold  and  chilly 
as  it  was,  I  could  easily  imagine  what  a  picture  of 
gloom  this  must  be  on  a  rainy  or  foggy  day.  Almost 
near  the  summit  we  reached  a  place  called  "The 
Devil's  Beef  Tub,"  a  steep  precipice  of  about  500 
feet  below  the  road.  By  the  time  we  began  to  de- 
scend again  I  noticed  that  we  were  following  a 
quick-running  little  stream,  which  was  burrowing 
under  the  heather-covered  rocks,  and  which  I  found 
to  be  the  humble  beginning  of  the  River  Tweed. 
The  landscape  changed  by  and  by;  an  occasional 
bunch  of  trees  began  to  alter  the  monotony  of  the 
hills;  a  few  isolated  farmhouses  appeared,  and 
shortly  afterward  we  stopped  before  a  very  inviting 
inn,  called  Crook  Hotel,  The  place  felt  warm  and 
comfortable  after  our  cold  drive  over  Tweed's  Muir. 
How  we  enjoyed  our  excellent  hot  tea ! 

There,  also,  we  made  our  first  acquaintance  with 
Scotch  cakes,  a  sort  of  crisp  pancake,  made  without 
yeast,  and  very  similar  to  curly  triangles  of  brittle 
gray  strawboard  paper,  but  very  toothsome  for  good 
appetites. 


ENGLAND    AND    SCOTLAND. 


59 


'We  were  entering  a  region  of  extensive  hills  barren  of  all   trees." 


"A  steady  ascent  for  about  seven  miles  brought  us  again  over 
uninhabited  moorland." 


6o  ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND. 

The  district  into  which  we  had  entered  reminded 
me  somewhat  of  some  American  landscapes  along 
the  State  road  in  Westchester  County:  a  rolling 
country  adorned  by  pretty  farms.  We  so  passed 
Broughton,  Romana  Bridge  and  Leadburn.  Near 
Penicuik,  after  coming  down  a  hilly  curve,  we  took 
the  wrong  road,  and  before  realizing  our  mistake 
were  on  a  side  road,  with  a  rapid  succession  of 
sharp  hilly  turns ;  but  our  trusty  car  took  the  heavy 
inclines  very  gracefully  and  we  did  not  care  to  re- 
turn, because  a  few  miles  farther  we  would  again 
join  the  main  road.  At  that  point  the  latter  became 
very  wide  and  straight,  and  we  saw  the  mountainous 
contour  of  Arthur  Seat. 

Almost  at  the  same  time  we  were  greeted  by  the 
faint  yet  distinct  skyline  of  Edinburgh,  a  sight  so 
characteristic  that  whoever  has  seen  it  once  will 
never  forget  it.  Our  road  descended  straight  to- 
ward the  city,  which  lay  before  us,  its  glorious  ap- 
pearance enhanced  on  the  background  of  resplend- 
ent light,  as  the  yellow  afternoon  sun  poured  into 
the- glistening  bay  beyond. 

"Edina,  Scotia's  darling  seat, 
All  hail,  thy  palaces  and  towers." 

This  was  my  third  visit  to  Edinburgh,  and  in 
every  case  have  I  been  under  the  spell  of  this  in- 
comparable gem  of  the  north.  Paris  may  be  gayer, 
London  more  imposing,  Rome  more  classical,  but 
I  know  of  no  other  city  which  has  the  same  aesthetic, 
yet  coldly  aristocratic  tone. 

Look !     We  are  passing  below  that  sturdy  rock 
from  whence  the  old  castle  seems  to  throw  a  frown-  ' 
ing  glance  upon  our  new-fangled  conveyance.    There 


ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND.  6i 


1  we  stopped  before  a  very  inviting  inn." 


"At  thai  point  we  saw  the  mountainous  contour  of  Arthur  Seat. 


62 


ENGLAND   AND    SCOTLAND. 


ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND. 


63 


it  was  that  King  Edwin,  by  founding  his  "burgh," 
laid  the  foundations  of  the  future  town.  There, 
also,  the  same  Edwin,  as  far  back  as  the  seventh 
century,  dreamt  of  a  United  Kingdom,  which  was 
only  to  be  realized  many  hundreds  of  years  after- 
ward.    Wars,  treason,  cruelty,  persecution,  fanat- 


.\i,iii\    (M    tiuin  landmarks  of  old  Edinburgh." 

icism,  all  have  left  their  bloody  imprints  on  the  his- 
tory of  the  old  burgh. 

There  was  that  same  Grass  Market,  where,  in 
narrow-minded  and  stormy  ages,  heretics  were 
burned  and  Covenanters  were  hanged  next  to  male- 
factors. High  street,  with  rows  of  tall  houses,  many 
of  them  landmarks  of  old  Edinburgh,  led  us  as  far 


64  ENGLAND   AND    SCOTLAND. 

as  the  North  Bridge ;  there,  turning  to  the  left,  we 
entered  upon  the  more  modern  part  of  the  town,  and 
now  we  stood  before  the  entrance  of  the  palatial 
North  British  Hotel.  In  going  to  our  rooms,  it  oc- 
curred to  me  what  a  pity  it  is  that  an  otherwise 
well-equipped  hotel  should  not  have  tried  to  provide 
better  illumination  in  its  gloomy,  half-dark  hallways. 
Two  days  were  spent  sightseeing  in  and  around 
Edinburgh,  for  which  purpose  the  car  was  used  to 
good  advantage. 

On  the  afternoon  of  July  17  we  started  on  our 
return  trip  southward.  We  preferred  to  take  the 
less  easy  but  more  interesting  road  over  Dalkeith, 
and  after  passing  through  some  villages  we  found 
ourselves  among  the  Lammermuir  Hills.  These  had 
the  same  general  desolate  aspect  as  the  moors  we 
had  encountered  a  few  days  before,  on  our  way  to 
Edinburgh.  Chilly  weather  and  a  fine  drizzling  rain 
completed  the  impression  of  forlornness,  which  was 
accentuated  by  the  monotonous  bleating  of  some 
stray  sheep. 

Scotland  has  three  kinds  of  weather:  it  is  either 
"raining,"  is  "going  to  rain,"  or  "has  just  finished 
raining."  I  was  rem.inded  of  the  story  of  that  for- 
eign consul  in  Glasgow  who  had  rented  a  house 
which  he  tried  to  embellish  by  works  of  art.  In  the 
entrance  hall  were  four  marble  statues  represent- 
ing Spring,  Summer,  Fall  and  Winter.  One  day  the 
consul,  distracted  by  the  hopelessness  of  the  climate, 
ordered  umbrellas  for  each  statue,  "to  bring  them 
more  into  conformity  with  the  four  Scotch  seasons." 

And  yet  this  Scotch  landscape,  with  its  gray',  mel- 
ancholy appearance,  has  a  charm  of  its  own  and  gives 


ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND.  65 


'Chilly   weather  and  fine  drizzling  rain  completed  the  impression  of 
forlornness." 




'The  viaduct  over  the  little  Leader  River. 


(^  ENGLAND  AND   SCOTLAND. 

an  impression  quite  different  from  any  other 
country. 

Our  road  was  now  winding  its  way  downward 
through  more  cultivated  regions  and  the  sky  became 
bright  again.  Well-kept  farms  were  succeeding 
each  other,  and  by  a  succession  of  up  and  down 
grades  we  passed  Lauder  and  Earlston.  Near 
Leaderfoot,  the  viaduct  over  the  little  Leader  River 
reminded  us  of  the  fact  that  by  a  short  detour  we 
might  visit  Melrose  Abbey. 

Reliable  Baedeker  calls  this  abbey  "indisputably 
the  finest  ruin  in  Scotland,"  and  he  ought  to  know. 
I  must  say,  however,  that,  crowded  in  between  nar- 
row streets  and  surrounded  by  houses,  the  ruin  failed 
entirely  to  make  on  us  the  impression  which  we 
received  two  days  later  at  our  visit  to  Fountains 
Abbey. 

Abbotsford,  the  picturesque  home  of  Sir  Walter 
Scott,  was  only  two  miles  farther,  but  the  day  was 
quite  advanced  by  this  time  and  we  preferred  not 
to  crowd  in  a  too  hurried  visit,  so  we  returned  to 
the  main  road  by  St.  Boswell.  On  the  "green"  of 
the  village  was  being  held  the  annual  horse  fair,  and 
all  along  the  road  we  met  people  trying  horses,  and 
farther  up,  near  the  village  limits,  encountered  some 
gipsy  wagons  and  a  gipsy  camp.  Gradually  we 
entered  now  upon  a  stretch  of  road  so  lovely  as  to 
look  almost  like  artistic  stage  scenery.  Vigorous  old 
beech  trees,  with  their  moss-covered,  silvery  bark, 
alternated  with  the  dark  green  of  giant  coniferse. 

We  were  so  absorbed  in  the  contemplation  of  this 
scenic  avenue  that  we  scarcely  knew  when  we  were 
entering  Jedburgh.     The  quiet  streets  of  the  neat 


ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND. 


67 


I  ^^^7^--  "X^^ 


"Encountered  some  gipsy  wagons  and  a  gipsy  camp. 


m 

The  quiet  streets  of  the  neat  little  place  hardly  suggest  the  turbulent 
period  during  the  wars  with  England." 


68  ENGLAND   AND    SCOTLAND. 

little  place  hardly  suggest  the  turbulent  period 
through  which  this  old  border  town  passed  during 
the  wars  with  England.  In  those  bloody  times 
"Jeddart  justice,"  like  "Lidford  law,"  hanged  the 
man  first  and  tried  him  afterward. 

We  were  to  rest  here  overnight  at  the  "Spread 
Eagle  Inn,"  a  name  which  sounded  rather  American. 
The  freshly  painted  fagade  gave  a  very  neat  appear- 
ance to  the  old  hostelry.  While  we  were  finding 
our  way  to  our  rooms  by  a  labyrinth  of  nooks  and 
corners,  our  car  was  being  garaged  under  a  shed  in 
the  courtyard.  The  soothing  rusticity  of  our  en- 
vironment was  in  marked-  contrast  to  yesterday's 
elegance  of  Scotland's  capital. 

Our  further  purpose,  for  the  following  day,  was 
to  leave  early,  after  taking  a  glimpse  at  the  ruins  of 
Jedburgh  Abbey.  The  latter  was  only  a  few  hun- 
dred feet  from  the  hotel.  Leaving  our  car  near  the 
entrance  to  the  churchyard,  we  were  walking  toward 
the  old  edifice  when  we  were  met  by  an  elderly  man 
who  was  working  in  his  garden.  His  flowing  white 
beard  and  intelligent  dark  eyes  gave  him  a  striking 
appearance.  He  announced  himself  as  the  custodian 
of  the  ruin.  Leaving  his  work,  he  invited  us  to 
come  in,,  but  at  the  sight  of  our  motor  car  he  sud- 
denly exclaimed : 

"If  you  travel  in  a  motor,  then  you  surely  are 
much  in  a  hurry  and  can't  find  time  to  enjoy  my 
Ruin." 

We  protested  that  we  were  not  of  the  scorching- 
a-mile-a-minute  class,  and  were  traveling  not  for 
making  mileage  but  for  enjoying  the  country.  *We 
soon  discovered  that  this  man  was  unusually  well 


ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND.  69 

acquainted  with  the  history  and  lore  of  his  native 
land.  As  an  able  archaeologist  he  retraced  for  us  the 
record  of  every  detail  of  the  old  abbey,  interspersing 
his  conversation  now  and  then  with  verses  from  his 
own  poems.  That  our  new  acquaintance  was  a  very 
successful  horticulturist,  as  well  as  a  philosopher, 
was  proved  by  his  elaborate  rose  garden,  which  had 


"The  landscape  was  a  repetition  of  Tweed's  Muir." 

won  him  many  and  many  a  prize  in  floral  exhibi- 
tions. 

Our  morning  had  fled  very  fast  and  it  was  about 
noon  when  we  took  leave  of  our  interesting  enter- 
tainer and  proceeded  on  our  way.  After  a  few  miles 
of  pretty  wood  scenery,  the  Cheviot  Hills  loomed  up 
in  the  distance,  and  shortly  afterward  we  were  again 
on  a  long  climb  over  green  moors.  Flocks  of  beau- 
tiful sheep  with  immaculate  long,  white  fleece  re- 
minded us  that  this  was  the  country  where  the  fa- 
mous Cheviot  wool  was  obtained.     The  landscape 


70  ENGLAND   AND    SCOTLAND. 

was  a  repetition  of  Tweed's  Muir  and  Lammermuir, 
and,  to  make  the  similarity  more  complete,  we  were 
again  treated  at  intervals  with  fine  drizzling  rain. 
By  the  time  we  began  the  descent  near  Carter  Fell 
the  weather  developed  a  chilling  rain  storm,  ac- 
companied by  such  a  strong  wind  as  to  make  me 
wonder  why  our  carriage  was  not  blown  from  the 
road. 

We  had  to  draw  the  weather-curtains  over  the 
driver's  seat,  and  if  it  had  not  been  for  our  limou- 
sine car  this  storm  would  surely  have  spoiled  our 
trip  for  the  day.  For  miles  and  miles  there  was  no 
shelter  in  sight,  not  even  a  lonely  tree  to  offer  us 
any  refuge.  But  we  kept  on  driving,  while  the  furi- 
ous storm  beat  the  heavy  rain  against  the  plate  win- 
dows, and  were  snugly  protected  inside  our  comfort- 
able car. 

As  on  former  occasions,  the  rain  stopped  when 
we  were  nearing  the  lowlands,  and  now  and  then 
the  sun  broke  out  through  a  gap  in  the  gray  clouds. 

Noiselessly  we  coasted  downward,  until  we  reached 
a  little  lake,  and  near  the  shore  of  it  stood  another 
limousine.  The  owners  were  fishing,  while  the 
chauffeur  sat  on  the  front  of  the  car,  his  mind 
entirely  lost  in  the  reading  of  some  novel.  The  road 
kept  undulating,  sometimes  reaching  an  altitude  of 
more  than  a  thousand  feet,  but  the  country  was  not 
so  desolate  as  the  one  we  had  just  left,  and  showed, 
here  and  there,  some  signs  of  habitation  in  the  shape 
of  an  occasional  sheep  farm. 

We  were  just  ascending  a  steep  hill  of  about  7  per 
cent,  grade  when  we  overtook  a  heavy  traction  en- 
gine pulling  two  other  wagons  behind.     The  outfit 


ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND.  ^\ 

seemed  to  have  no  trouble  in  taking  the  hill,  al- 
though it  naturally  went  much  slower  than  we  did. 
Such  kind  of  machines  are  frequently  met  in  all 
parts  of  England,  and  several  times  I  had  occasion 
to  obtain  direct  information  as  to  the  practical  opera- 
tion of  such  commercial  automobiles.  Some  of  them 
are  driven  by  steam  in  about  the  same  way  as  a 
steam  locomotive;  others  are  built  on  the  same 
principle  as  the  gasoline  automobile.  Heavy  ve- 
hicles of  the  electric  class,  as  are  often  met  in  New 
York,  seem  to  be  very  scarce  in  Europe;  probably 
on  account  of  the  fact  that  their  operation  is  very 
expensive  and  that  their  scope  of  action  is  rather 
limited. 

Some  well-conceived  English  traction  engines 
have  the  appearance  and  solidity  of  construction  of 
a  railroad  locomotive.  I  was  told  that  some  could 
be  purchased  for  prices  ranging  about  $2,500. 
From  the  fact  that  such  vehicles  had  been  in  use  for 
several  years  and  had  given  full  satisfaction  as  to 
the  cost  of  operation,  I  believe  that  an  immense  de- 
velopment of  the  automobile  industry  is  possible  in 
that  direction.  The  large  fiat  tires  have  a  most 
favorable  result  on  the  roads  by  improving  the  sur- 
face, acting  somewhat  like  steam  rollers.  If  such 
commercial  vehicles  can  replace  horse-drawn 
wagons  it  will  mean  an  immense  economy  in  the 
maintenance  of  roads,  which  now  are  so  much 
spoiled  by  the  sharp  hoofs  of  horses  as  well  as  by' 
the  tires  of  narrow  wheels. 

The  profitable  use  of  commercial  automobiles 
seems  only  possible  in  countries  where  good  roads 
exist;  that  is  probably  the  reason  why  they  are  so 


72  ENGLAND   AND    SCOTLAND. 

numerous  in  England.  In  France  I  saw  less  of 
them  and  almost  none  in  Italy,  although  both  coun- 
tries seem  to  be  very  well  adapted  for  this  purpose. 

We  were  nearing  Newcastle,  and  met  now  and 
then  some  stray  agglomerations  of  houses,  followed 
by  a  closer  succession  of  buildings,  until  about  three 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  entered  the  black,  smoky 
city.  With  its  immense  industrial  activity,  New- 
castle looks  even  less  attractive  than  Manchester  or 
Birmingham.  We  drove  hastily  through  the  town 
and  paid  our  toll  at  the  entrance  of  the  heavy  High 
Level  Bridge.  Underneath  flows  the  muddy  Tyne 
River,  lined  on  both  shores  with  rows  of  gloomy 
factory  buildings,  spouting  clouds  of  black  smoke 
from  hundreds  of  big  chimneys. 

Leaving  the  city,  we  were  now  traveling  through 
a  dismal  colliery  district.  The  unpainted  houses  of 
the  badly  kept  villages  and  the  black-faced  miners 
in  the  streets  reminded  us  again  of  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Manchester. 

A  little  beyond  Chester-le-Street,  the  distant  out- 
lines of  the  Durham  Cathedral  rose  in  sight.  The 
imposing  building  stands  on  a  rocky  promontory 
above  the  whole  surrounding  country.  Arriving 
nearer,  we  were  climbing  the  narrow  streets  of  the 
town  of  Durham,  and  so  came  in  full  view  of  what 
is  said  to  be  the  most  beautiful  Norman  building  in 
the  world. 

On  the  same  lofty  retreat,  and  not  far  from  the 
stately  cathedral,  stands  the  ancient  castle.  Both 
buildings,  in  their  elevated  position,  seem  to  impress 
their  haughty  domination  upon  the  small  town  of 
crooked,  narrow  streets  and  old-looking  houses. 


ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND.  n 

At  Durham  we  wanted  to  buy  souvenirs  in  one 
of  the  many  Httle  shops,  but  were  told  that  this  was 
Wednesday,  the  week  holiday  of  the  town,  and  that 
stores  were  closed. 

Each  town  or  village  "in  England  seems  to  keep 
an  extra  holiday  each  week,  occurring  on  a  different 
day  according  to  the  choice  of  the  locality,  so  that 
while  traveling  in  an  auto  it  is  quite  possible,  as 
had  happened  to  us,  to  strike  a  holiday  town  on  each 
succeeding  day  of  the  week. 

After  having  stilled  our  clamoring  appetites  at 
'The  Three  Tuns,"  which  Baedeker  recommended 
as  "an  old-fashioned  but  comfortable  house,"  we 
took  to  the  road  again.  A  stiff  climb  awaited  us 
near  Ferry  Hill,  but  then  the  surface  became  almost 
level  again  and  we  made  good  time.  Darlington 
and  Northallerton,  two  small  towns  of  some  im- 
portance, were  traversed  hurriedly;  then  branching 
off  to  the  right  we  engaged  in  a  succession  of  side 
roads  toward  Ripon,  our  destination  for  the  end  of 
the  day.  Side  roads  in  England,  although  narrow, 
are  as  good  and  sometimes  better  than  the  main 
roads.  Roads  in  England  are  seldom  straight,  as 
they  have  been  laid  out  without  injuring  the  con- 
venience of  mighty  landholders,  who  here,  more 
than  in  any  other  country,  seem  to  have  everything 
their  own  way. 

We  were  traveling  on  good,  hard  and  smooth 
surface  and  were  all  alone  on  the  road.  The  setting 
sun  urged  us  to  go  faster  and  the  r-r-r-r  of  our  per- 
fect engine  was  a  merry  tune  to  our  ears.  While 
we  were  thus  flying  along  we  could  hardly  refrain 
from  making  some  remarks  in  praise  of  our  reliable 


74  ENGI.AND   AND    SCOTLAND. 

machine.  Day  after  day  we  had  been  traveling 
without  intermission,  never  delayed  nor  worried  by 
troubles  with  the  machinery.  What  a  change,  since 
my  experience  of  a  few  years  ago  when  I  first  tried 
my  hand  at  automobiling,  etc. !  We  might  have 
kept  up  this  optimistic  conversation  much  longer  if 
just  at  that  time  we  had  not  been  startled  by  a  tchiss  ! 
— bang ! — ^bang ! — bang ! — tchiss  ! — and  the  motor 
stopped.  The  engine,  which  always  started  on  the 
very  first  touch  of  the  crank,  seemed  lifeless  now, 
although  voltmeter  and  sparking  plugs  showed  the 
excellent  condition  of  the  ignition  system.  Lewis 
was  positive  that  it  could  not  be  lack  of  gasoline, 
because  he  had  added  some  in  Durham,  but  the 
carburetor  seemed  empty,  and  therefore,  notwith- 
standing the  assurances  of  Lewis  that  we  had  an 
abundance  of  gasoline,  we  examined  the  tank  and 
found  that  every  drop  of  fuel  had  disappeared. 
Judging  by  our  odometer,  we  were  fully  two 
miles  from  Ripon,  the  nearest  place  to  get  a  new 
supply,  and  Lewis  was  sent  out  in  search  of  the 
much-needed  liquid.  A  passing  boy,  on  a  bicycle, 
was  dispatched  after  him,  with  the  promise  of  a 
shilling  if  he  could  hurry  the  arrival  of  a  can  of 
gasoline.  It  had  become  quite  dark  now,  but,  light- 
ing the  electric  lamp  in  the  car,  we  were  enabled  to 
pass  the  time  agreeably  with  reading. 

After  about  an  hour  the  gasoline  arrived  and  the 
motor  was  started  without  any  trouble  whatever. 
While  we  were  humming  off  the  two  last  miles  I 
ventured  to  remark  that  it  made  quite  some  differ- 
ence to  our  engine  whether  it  had  gasoline  or  not, 
and  that  from  now  on  we  would  never  travel  again 


ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND.  75 


'The   imposing   building   stands  on   a   rocky    promontory. 


fitted  together  as  a  rare  gem  in  an  appropriate  setting," 


76  ENGLAND   AND    SCOTLAND. 

without  carrying  an  extra  can  of  this  indispensable 
fluid,  so  that  we  could  fall  back  on  this  reserve  pro- 
vision in  case  our  regular  supply  gave  out.  ■ 

The  streets  of  Ripon  appeared  pitch  dark  to  me, 
but  with  some  hesitation  we  found  our  way  to  the 
Unicorn  Hotel.  We  were  rather  surprised  to  find 
this  inn  very  crowded  with  visitors  and  found,  to 


"Our    car    was   waiting  outside." 

our  dismay,  that  all  the  neighborhood  had  flocked 
to  Ripon,  to  see  an  historical  pageant  which  was  to 
take  place  next  day — an  event  of  much  local  im- 
portance, because  it  was  celebrated  only  at  intervals 
of  many  years. 

The  little  place,  otherwise  so  quiet,  was  now 
stirred  up  by  all  the  hustle  and  bustle  of  preparation. 
This  was  quite  different  from  what  we  expected. 


ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND.  77 

and  if  it  had  not  been  so  late  we  would  certainly 
have  driven  to  the  nearest  quiet  locality. 

I  have  a  horror  of  crowds,  and  foresaw  that 
Fountains  Abbey,  our  sole  object  for  coming  here, 
would  lose  all  its  charm  if  we  were  to  meet  there  the 
noisy  hordes  of  the  average  holiday  seekers.  The 
hotel  itself  made  a  good  impression,  and  the  land- 
lady told  us  she  could  provide  us  with  rooms  for 
one  night,  if  we  would  promise  her  that  they  should 
be  vacated  for  the  next  day,  as  everything  had  been 
engaged  long  ago  for  the  full  coming  week.  I  went 
to  bed  rather  disappointed  to  see  my  plans  so  upset. 
This  visit  to  Fountains  Abbey  I  had  intended  to 
spring  as  a  surprise  upon  my  wife  as  a  fitting  climax 
to  our  sightseeing  journey  through  England.  I  had 
almost  made  up  my  mind  to  leave  the  place  without 
even  taking  a  look  at  the  ruin,  rather  than  to  see  it, 
as  in  the  circus  performance,  surrounded  by  crowds. 
I  must  have  felt  very  tired  that  evening.  Luckily 
I  woke  up  next  morning  in  a  much  more  cheerful 
mood,  and  it  occurred  to  me  that  if  the  pageant  was 
to  start  in  Ripon  at  ten,  this  would  certainly  draw 
the  bulk  of  the  visitors.  If  we  timed  properly  our 
visit  to  the  abbey  we  might  manage  to  be  there  dur- 
ing an  interval  when  we  should  be  alone. 

To  the  astonishment  of  the  attentive  waiters,  we 
leisurely  lingered  over  our  daintily  served  breakfast, 
while  everybody  else  was  much  in  a  hurry  to  be  in 
time  for  the  pageant.  By  now  the  quaint  old  market 
place  was  filled  with  holiday  crowds  thronging  be- 
tween tally-hos,  char-a-bancs  and  carriages  of  all 
descriptions.  The  scarlet  coats  of  the  top-booted 
postilions  intermingled  with  the  businesslike  leather 


78  ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND. 

jackets  of  the  chauffeurs.  Traveling  musicians  and 
gaily  dressed  clowns  joined  their  noises  with  those 
of  the  hoarse  exclamations  of  peddlers  or  fruit  ven- 
ders. Flags  and  bunting  everywhere  added  to  the 
festive  picture  of  animation  of  the  whole  scene. 

Our  car  was  waiting  outside,  and  a  few  minutes 
before  ten  we  managed  to  create  a  passage  through 
the  dense  crowd  and  drive  off  to  the  abbey.  The 
day  could  not  have  been  finer.  Two  or  three  miles' 
drive,  along  hedged  country  roads,  took  us  through 
Studley  Village,  at  the  entrance  of  Studley  Park. 
There  a  straight  avenue,  flanked  by  broad  lawns, 
brought  us  to  a  turn  where  we  passed  beneath  the 
canopy  of  verdure  supported  by  mighty  beech  trees. 
Close  by  was  the  gate,  where  we  left  our  motor  be- 
hind. 

Upon  entering  the  enchanting  park  which  guard- 
ed the  object  of  our  visit,  we  were  delighted  to  find 
that  our  plan  had  worked  well — we  were  entirely 
alone.  Whoever  desires  to  behold  a  masterpiece  of 
classic  English  landscape  gardening  cannot  select  a 
better  place  than  this.  The  slow  but  dominating  in- 
fluence of  time  has  raised  there  giant  rhododendrons 
and  yew  trees,  and  each  of  them  must  certainly  have 
been  old  even  five  centuries  ago,  when  the  abbey 
was  founded.  How  trivial  looks  a  modern  garden 
compared  to  this  imposing  result  of  the  combined 
effect  of  age,  good  taste  and  culture.  Enraptured 
by  our  surroundings,  we  had  almost  forgotten  that 
we  came  to  see  the  abbey,  until  our  walk  brought 
us  to  a  place  where  an  open  space  in  the  shrubbery 
suddenly  unfolded  to  our  eyes  a  magic  view  of  the 
distant    ruin.      The    slender    towers,    so    elegantly 


ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND.  79 

placed  on  that  velvety  lawn,  the  serenely  restful 
water  of  the  little  creek  and  the  surrounding  sump- 
tuous vegetation  of  those  veteran  trees  fitted  to- 
gether as  a  rare  gem  in  an  appropriate  setting. 

I  cannot  imagine  that  the  abbey,  in  its  former  full 
architectural  glory  of  centuries  ago,  when  despotic 
ecclesiastics  dwelt  there  in  all  their  might  and 
haughtiness,  could  ever  have  looked  half  as  graceful 
as  the  exquisite  ruin,  purified  from  its  former  sins 
of  intolerance  and  iniquity. 

Hours  had  passed  in  the  silent  contemplation  of 
this  sublime  spot,  and  it  was  time  to  leave  if  we 
desired  to  avoid  •  the  unavoidable  inrush  of  the 
stream  of  visitors.  • 

When  we  again  arrived  in  Ripon  the  pageant  was 
just  over,  and  we  had  much  trouble  driving  our  car 
through  the  crowded  streets. 

Interspersed  in  the  thronging  crowd  could  be 
seen,  here  and  there,  the  multi-colored  costume  of 
some  returning  performer.  Rounding  a  corner  we 
almost  ran  into  the  tin-bedecked  horse  of  William 
the  Conqueror.  The  warlike  lord  in  his  suit  of 
armor  had  his  own  troubles  trying  to  master  his 
rearing  steed.  Furious  while  readjusting  his  over- 
turned helmet,  he  mumbled  some  forceful  Anglo- 
Saxon  expressions  aimed  at  our  car. 

We  managed  to  leave  the  town  without  further 
encounters  with  irate  knights  and  were  soon  again 
on  our  way  to  London.  We  might  have  turned  first 
toward  the  old  city  of  York,  formerly  the  Roman 
Eboracum,  twenty-four  miles  distant,  but  I  was  ex- 
pected in  London  the  next  day,  and  therefore  pre- 
ferred to  omit  this  side  trip.    Our  itinerary  took  us 


8o  ENGLAND   AND    SCOTLAND. 

through  Harrogate,  an  aristocratic-looking  spa,  pro- 
vided with  several  large  hotels.  Then,  further  on 
through  Wetherby,  Aberford,  Ferrybridge  and 
Doncaster,  we  could  indulge  in  some  fast  driving 
over  well-kept  roads.  Just  beyond  Tuxford  I  became 
aware  that  one  of  our  tires  was  flattening  and  Lewis 
discovered  a  nail  in  the  cover.  This  was  only  the 
second  puncture  since  we  started  our  tour.  While 
a  new  tub^  was  being  put  in  some  playing  country 
children  came  to  look  at  the  proceedings;  I  rather 
liked  their  pleasant  and  polite  behavior,  in  compari- 
son with  the  rudeness  of  the  average  American 
street  boy,  who  certainly  would  have  yelled,  "Git  a 
horsd !" 

A  little  conversation  with  them  led  to  the  avowal 
that  they  were  very  glad  when  ''motors"  had  "break- 
downs," because  then  the  motors  had  to  stop,  and 
something  had  to  be  done  to  the  machine,  and  all 
that  was  so  interesting  to  look  at.  Sometimes  the 
machines  could  not  go  further,  and  then  they  had  to 
be  pulled  with  "  'orses."  This  had  "  'appened"  last 
week,  but  only  "  'Arry"  had  the  fun  of  it,^  because 
the  others  were  at  school  when  all  this  occurred. 

As  soon  as  we  were  ready  we  made  a  thirty-five 
mile  dash  toward  Grantham.  It  was  nearly  even- 
ing when  we  stopped  there  before  the  old  "Angel 
Inn,"  with  its  quaint  ivy-clad  fagade  and  stone  tur- 
reted  bay  windows.  At  the  entrance  of  the  porte- 
cochere  we  were  welcomed  by  the  landlord  and  his 
servants.  While  our  baggage  was  being  taken  off 
the  car  we  were  struck  by  the  general  antique  ap- 
pearance of  the  place.  The  buildings  seemed  divided 
for  their  several  purposes,  as  indicated  by  inscrip- 


ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND.  8i 

tions.  There  was  a  "tap"  for  grooms,  valets  or 
drivers,  and  a  special  building  for  lodging  the  help ; 
as  to  the  stable,  it  had  been  partially  changed  into  a 
''garage."  A  glimpse  of  the  roomy  kitchen  showed 
us  a  well-arranged  row  of  shining  brass  and  copper 
utensils.  Everything  was  well  kept  and  had  a  pros- 
perous look. 

Along  one  of  the  walls  of  the  courtyard  there  was 


^^ 

"  .     .     .     the  old  'Angel  Inn,'  with  its  ivy-clad  facade." 

a  row  of  swinging  call  bells,  connected  with  as  many 
ropes  to  different  apartments,  the  names  of  which 
were  inscribed  above  each.  Whenever  anyone  rang 
a  waiter  ran  out  to  ascertain  which  bell  was  swing- 
ing and  hustled  back  to  the  room  whence  came  the 
call. 

Our  room  was  called  "The  Granby."  With  its 
enormous  antique  mahogany  bed,  with  four  spiral 
posts  and  everything  clean  and  neat,  it  looked  very 


82  ENGLAND   AND    SCOTLAND. 

cozy.  I  was  told  that  it  was  here  that  Richard  the 
Third  signed  the  death  warrant  of  the  Duke  of 
Buckingham.  This  was,  in  fact,  one  of  the  oldest 
holstelries  in  England,  and  as  such  it  had  quite  a 
history.  It  had  first  been  the  property  of  the 
Knights  Templar,  and  in  the  thirteenth  century 
King  John  had  held  court  there.  We  were  quite 
pleased  with  our  experience,  and  our  delight  rose 
to  enthusiasm  when  we  were  invited  down  for  sup- 
per, where  the  waiter  served  us  delicious  "Sole- 
meuniere,"  of  staggering  size  and  quality,  rendered 
still  more  palatable  by  a  glass  of  excellent  cham- 
pagne. 

That  the  good  points  of  this  country  inn  were 
known  by  other  automobilists  was  made  evident  by 
the  fact  that  three  more  motor  cars  entered  the  hotel 
gate  at  this  late  hour  of  the  evening.  Just  when  I 
was  about  to  retire  to  our  room  I  heard  another  car 
drive  in  with  a  terrible  noise.  If  it  had  been  a  thou- 
sand horse  power  it  could  not  have  made  a  more 
fearful  racket.  I  quickly  slipped  outside  to  take  a 
look  at  the  monster  automobile,  only  to  find  a  tiny 
little  French  tonneau,  driven  by  an  immense  stout 
French  chauffeur  with  a  carmine  face,  his  black 
leather  suit  swollen  to  the  point  of  bursting  with  its 
fleshy  contents.  It  was  with  some  trouble  that  this 
Goliath  succeeded  in  extricating  his  massive  form 
from  the  overburdened  little  noisemaker. 

When,  the  next  morning,  I  went  to  the  garage,  I 
beheld  a  busy  scene.  It  looked  very  much  like  an 
automobile  factory.  Every  car  excepting  ours  was 
partly  dismantled.  One  chauffeur  was  repairing  his 
magneto,  another  was  hard  at  work  with  his  engine, 


ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND.  83 

while  the  third  was  getting  warm  taking  out  his 
troublesome  carburetor.  As  to  the  giant  Frenchman, 
he  was  lying  down  on  his  back,  with  his  legs  stick- 
ing out  between  the  front  wheels,  while  his  little  car 
seemed  to  rest  like  a  toy  on  his  rotund  belly. 

I  could  not  see  his  face,  but  when  I  heard  the 
crisp,  unsaintly  French  expressions  which  were 
pouring  forth  from  underneath  yesterday's  terror  I 
knew  that  he,  too,  had  troubles  of  his  own. 

As  a  contrast  to  all  this,  I  saw  Lewis,  in  an  easy- 
going way,  filling  in  oil  and  gasoline ;  I  could  not 
help  concluding  that  our  old  car  did  not  make  such 
a  bad  showing,  next  to  three  of  the  latest  and  best 
known  foreign  makes. 

At  noontime  we  left  Grantham  and  after  passing 
Stamford  arrived  at  Alconbury  Hill,  where  the  road 
divides  and  where  we  took  the  wrong  turn  over 
Huntington  instead  of  taking  the  shorter  route  to 
the  right.  While  inquiring  about  the  way,  a  bicy- 
cle rider  came  toward  us  and  we  were  politely  in- 
formed that  there  were  "motor  traps"  near  the 
town.  He  urged  us  to  drive  slowly  so  as  not  to  be 
arrested.  A  little  further  we  were  approached  by 
another  bicyclist,  who  repeated  the  same  warning. 
This  seems  to  be  one  of  the  ways  by  which  English 
motorists  try  to  protect  themselves  against  a  too 
strict  enforcement  of  automobile  laws.  As  soon  as 
we  were  out  of  the  town  and  the  roads  were  free 
again,  we  threw  in  our  high  gear  and  kept  spinning 
onwards.  Biggleswade,  Hitchin,  Welwyn,  Hatfield 
and  Barnet  were  passed,  and  from  now  on  a  close 
succession  of  well-kept  country  properties  were  the 
first  signs  that  we  were  nearing  London.     At  the 


84  ENGLAND   AND    SCOTLAND. 

same  time  we  met  more  bicycles  and  motor  cars. 
At  Finchley  we  took  to  the  right,  along  the  Finch- 
ley  road.  Large  motor  buses  which  rushed  along 
with  a  roar  like  so  many  wild  animals,  and  the  mul- 
ti-colored omnibuses  with  their  horses  beating  a 
rhythmic  thud  on  the  wooden  pavement,  appeared 
again  as  a  familiar  sight  of  the  metropolis.  There 
now  was  Regent's  Park  and*  before  long  we  were 
following  the  crowded  but  orderly  procession  of  all 
kinds  of  vehicles  through  Baker  street,  Oxford 
street,  along  Trafalgar  square,  Whitehall,  over 
Westminster  Bridge. 

Once  over  the  latter_,  we  entered  other  busy  thor- 
oughfares. After  going  through  Lewisham  we  ar- 
rived in  Bromley,  from  where  we  went  to  Chisle- 
hurst.  There  we  were  glad  to  find  our  children, 
who  had  been  patiently  waiting  for  our  return. 

I  was  again  very  favorably  impressed  with  their 
schools,  quite  different  from  those  enormous  insti- 
tutions where  a  child  loses  all  its  individuality.  Both 
the  schools  had  a  very  limited  number  of  pupils 
and  looked  more  like  pretty  villas  with  tastefully 
laid  out  gardens. 

After  the  car  had  driven  us  back  to  the  hotel  at 
Bromley,  I  could  not  help  patting  it  on  the  hood 
of  the  motor.  Our  odometer  showed  1,314  miles 
since  the  car  had  arrived  in  England,  and  never 
had  it  given  us  any  trouble. 

A  pleasant  room  had  been  kept  ready  for  us  at 
the  hotel  and  we  felt  very  much  at  home  after  our 
long  trip.  Looking  from  our  bow  window  the  street 
corner  appeared  very  much  like  a  theatrical  scene. 
There  in  the  background  was  the  little  old  church 


ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND.  85 

with  its  walls  of  flint  stone ;  on  each  side  was  a  row 
of  shops,  leaving  a  triangular  space  for  the  inter- 
section of  several  streets.  People  were  going  and 
coming ;  now  and  then  a  neatly  dressed  girl  on  a  bi- 
cycle crossed  the  street  bent  on  some  errand  or 
visit;  then,  again,  an  automobile  rushed  along. 
While  all  this  was  going  on  some  minstrels  were 
holding  an  improvised  concert  in  the  middle  of  the 
place.  On  closer  inspection  this  group  formed  an 
odd  combination.  One  of  the  performers  was  blind, 
the  other  was  one  armed,  while  the  third  had  no 
arms  at  all.  Lustily  they  sang  their  grand  opera 
repertoire,  and  afterward,  while  the  blind  and  arm- 
less men  kept  singing,  the  one-armed  man  went 
around  for  the  collection  and  gathered  many  a  coin. 

Bicycling  is  still  very  popular  in  England  and 
Scotland.  Not  only  are  the  roads  filled  with  people 
who  practise  it  as  a  sport,  but  persons  of  both  sexes 
and  all  ages  use  the  wheel  as  a  very  convenient  vehi- 
cle for  shopping  and  visiting.  The  well-kept  roads 
and  proper  accommodations  everywhere  have  un- 
doubtedly contributed  much  to  keep  alive  a  sport 
which,  unfortunately,  has  almost  died  out  in  the 
United  States  since  snobbism  abandoned  it. 

The  next  days  were  spent  in  London  at  the 
Carlton,  a  hotel  which  falls  somewhat  short  of  the 
rather  pretentious  reputation  which  it  tries  to  main- 
tain. 

Our  time  was  strenuously  divided  between  sight- 
seeing and  social  functions,  and  after  about  a  week 
we  began  to  sigh  again  for  motor  trips  in  the  green 
open  country.  Just  then  vacation  time  had  arrived 
and  we  could  take  the  children  from  their  schools. 


86  ENGLAND   AND    SCOTLAND. 


■"While  everything  else  was  packed  in  the  required  number  of  dres- 
suit  cases  and  loaded  upon  our  car." 


All  our  belongings  that  were  not  required  for  our 
trip  through  the  Continent  were  stowed  in  two  large 
trunks,  ready  to  ship  to  Naples,  while  everything 
else  was  packed  in  the  required  number  of  dress  suit 
cases  and  loaded  upon  our  car.  Our  friends  in 
Bromley,  who  had  contributed  so  much  to  make  our 
stay  in  their  town  agreeable,  bade  us  a  last  farewell. 

Now,  with  our  little  family  complete,  we  left  be- 
hind us  green  Chislehurst  and  its  school  memories. 
My  children  showed  me  the  villa  where  the  last  of 
the  Emperors  of  France  died  in  exile,  as  a  sad  ex- 
piation of  a  reckless  career. 

We  skimmed  over  the  lovely  county  of  Kent,  with 
its  land  laid  out  like  a  garden,  its  trim  hop  fields 
and  well-kept  country  houses ;  then  all  through  Sur- 
rey, where  the  road  traverses  again  an  increasing 


ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND.  87 

succession  of  the  prettiest  well-cultivated  rural  dis- 
tricts. The  roads  are  bordered  with  well-trimmed 
hedges  and  are  kept  as  if  they  were  garden  lanes. 
Prosperous-looking  cottages  and  farmhouses  add 
their  smiles  to  the  general  cheer  of  the  surround- 
ings. 

Here,  as  in  several  other  places  of  England  where 
of  late  motor  traffic  has  become  very  dense,  experi- 
ments have  been  made  by  spreading  over  the  roads 
a  thin  layer  of  coal  tar.  This  keeps  the  dust  down 
and  hardens  the  surface.  I  was  told  that  the  farm- 
ers themselves  took  the  initiative  of  these  experi- 
ments after  they  found  out  that  soft  surface  roads 
caused  sufficient  dust  to  make  the  adjoining  strips 
of  pasturage  unavailable  for  cattle  feeding. 

We  had  passed  Sidcup,  Maidstone  and  Ash  ford, 
the  road  being  a  succession  of  undulating  grades. 
From  the  hill  just  before  Hythe  we  saw  the  blue 
sea  in  the  distance.  The  route  now  ran  almost  par- 
allel with  the  shore  and  we  were  entering  the  region 
of  the  numerous  sea  resorts  so  popular  along  the 
English  southern  coast.  After  Hythe,  we  passed 
Sandgate  and  further  on  was  pretty  Folkestone, 
with  its  white  cliffs,  green  hills  and  pale  blue  water. 
In  this  sunny  summer  weather  the  panorama  re- 
minded me  somewhat  of  the  Mediterranean. 

We  might  have  shipped  the  car  from  here  to 
Boulogne,  but  we  had  planned  to  visit  Belgium. 
Our  destination  was  Ostend,  and  the  easiest  way 
to  get  there  with  the  car  was  to  send  it  from  J)over 
to  Calais  and  from  there  proceed  to  Belgium.  Dover 
is  only  ten  miles  from  Folkestone,  but  the  road 
winds  over  very  steep  hills. 


88  ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND. 

A  sharp  ascent  began  shortly  after  leaving 
Folkestone,  and  we  kept  climbing  for  almost  two 
miles.  The  splendid  manner  in  which  our  heavily 
loaded  car  accomplished  this  task  made  me  feel 
very  confident  of  our  future  journey  through  the 
mountains  of  the  Continent.  Near  the  summit  we 
met  some  khaki-dressed  English  soldiers  who  had 
stopped  manoeuvring;  their  purple  faces  gave  evi- 
dence that  it  was  a  very  hot  day  for  them.  My 
English  friends  are  apt  to  make  fun  of  the  average 
American  who  in  winter  lives  in  overheated  houses, 
but,  on  the  other  hand,  I  am  led  to  believe  that  Eng- 
lishmen, like  most  inhabitants  of  northern  Europe, 
are  very  helpless  against  hot  weather. 

A  steady  decline  brought  us  into  Dover.  The 
day  boat  for  Calais  had  left  in  the  morning,  so  the 
car  had  to  be  sent  by  the  night  boat.  Meanwhile, 
my  wife  and  children  would  take  the  Ostend  boat, 
which  was  to  leave  in  about  one  hour.  Lewis,  speak- 
ing nothing  but  English,  would  be  rather  helpless 
in  France,  so  I  decided  to  accompany  him  and  the 
car  to  Calais. 

I  had  still  ample  time  to  take  tea  with  my  little 
family  at  the  Lord  Warden  Hotel,  see  them  off  on 
the  Ostend  boat,  and  afterward  look  on  while  my  car 
was  being  put  on  board  the  French  steamer.  The 
auto  was  run  on  the  quay  alongside  the  mail  steamer 
and  placed  into  a  sort  of  wooden  tray,  to  which  the 
wheels  were  fastened  by  means  of  strong  ropes, 
while  wedges  were  braced  against  the  tires  so  as  to 
keep  everything  in  position.  The  tray  was  sus- 
pended by  four  strong  cables,  which  were  kept 
stretched  apart  by   wooden   cross-pieces,   so   as  to 


ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND. 


'Lifted  by  a  powerful  crane.' 


sheltered  by  chalk-white  cliffs. 


90 


ENGLAND  AND   SCOTLAND. 


prevent  the  chains    from    touching    the    car    and 
scratching  the  top. 

In  less  time  than  it  takes  to  describe  it  the  whole 
was  lifted  by  a  powerful  electric  crane,  which  swung 


deposited  neatly  on  the  deck  of  the  steamer.' 


the  car  gracefully  in  the  air  and  deposited  it  neatly 
on  the  deck  of  the  steamer  in  the  space  reserved  for 
second-class  passengers.  The  tray  was  pulled  from 
underneath  the  car  and  replaced  with  a  sheet  of 


ENGLAND   AND   SCOTLAND.  91 

tarpaulin,  which  was  to  take  care  of  any  leaking  lu- 
bricating oil. 

It  was  but  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  and  there 
was  plenty  of  time  for  sightseeing.  Dover  is  an  in- 
teresting and  busy  little  seaport  of  increasing  im- 
portance. It  is  sheltered  by  chalk-white  cliffs,  the 
latter  surmounted  by  an  old  castle  which  is  still 
used  as  a  fort.  Romans,  Saxons  and  Normans 
have  all  left  their  traces  on  the  history  of  Dover. 
The  fine  new  harbor  is  intended  to  accommodate 
British  warships,  and  has  become  a  stopping  point 
for  several  transatlantic  lines.  All  this,  together 
with  the  sea  bathing  on  the  beach,  the  garrison  and 
the  mail  steamers  to  the  Continent,  gives  a  peculiar 
animation  to  this  otherwise  small  place. 

I  watched  with  much  interest  the  manoeuvres  of 
the  grim,  black  British  battleships  outside  the  port. 
By  evening  most  of  them  entered  in  procession  into 
the  harbor,  where  they  dropped  anchor  for  the  night. 

Some  time  past  eleven  our  French  mail  steamer 
sailed  away  and  about  one  hour  later  we  arrived  in 
Calais. 


FRANCE    AND    BELGIUM. 

AS  the  car  could  not  be  unloaded  before  the  next 
morning,  I  took  a  cab  and  drove  directly  to  a 
hotel  supposed  to  be  the  best  in  Calais,  but  which 
proved  to  be  somewhat  of  a  disappointment.  Maybe 
I  had  become  accustomed  to  the  clean  and  neat  Eng- 
lish hotels,  where  cooking  is  perhaps  not  so  artfully 
attended  to  as  in  France,  but  where  everything 
looks  well  cared  for,  even  if  otherwise  simple. 

All  over  France  one  still  find  many  hotel  keepers 
who  thing  that  a  good  meal,  soft  beds,  a  few  electric 
lights  and  a  stray  piece  of  statuary  or  an  oil  painting 
are  the  only  necessary  qualifications  for  a  good  hotel, 
and  who  seem  to  be  unaware  of  the  fact  that  the 
modem,  civilized  traveler  will  sooner  appreciate  sim- 
plicity if  the  latter  is  conducive  to  cleanliness.  They 
ignore  the  fact  that  a  self-respecting  tourist  will 
give  scant  consideration  to  pretentious  or  luxurious 
furniture  if  the  facilities  which  permit  personal 
cleanliness  are  insufficient  or  absent. 

Bathing  and  similar  facilities  are  often  of  a  rudi- 
mentary nature  in  French  hotels ;  sometimes  they 
are  totally  absent.  The  Touring  Club  of  France  is 
doing  excellent  work  by  attending  to  the  education 
of  such  French  "hoteliers"  as  have  been  living  hith- 
erto in  blissful  ignorance  of  these  subjects. 

As  soon  as  I  entered  the  town  of  Calais  I  became 
disagreeably  conscious  of  an  all-pervading  smell  of 
sewers.    This  unpleasant  impression  lasted  as  long 

93 


94  FRANCE   AND   BELGIUM. 

as  I  remained  there.  The  inhabitants  of  the  place 
appear  to  be  unaware  of  this  condition,  or  seem  to 
think  Hghtly  of  the  matter.  Unfortunately,  the 
olfactory  sense  of  foreigners  does  not  seem  to  have 
become  dulled  to  the  same  degree. 

The  next  morning  I  hurried  to  the  well-built 
quay.  There  I  found  my  car  still  standing  on  the 
mail  steamer,  covered  with  a  tarpaulin,  while  a  lone- 
ly sailor  was  scrubbing  the  deck.     I  was  kept  wait- 


"The  latter  was  lifted  in  about  the  same  way  as  in  Dover." 

ing  until  ten  o'clock,  when  the  operator  of  the  elec- 
tric crane  finally  made  his  appearance.  Then  I  had 
to  wait  some  more  for  the  representative  of  the 
''Societe  des  Rouleurs."  The  latter  is  a  variety  of 
trade  union  combined  with  a  monopoly  which  seems 
to  have  the  exclusive  concession  for  handling  all 
merchandise  at  the  docks.  Everybody  was  extreme- 
ly polite  to  me,  but  everyone  also  took  his  own  time 
to  attend  to  his  job.    A  wooden  tray  was  again  slid 


FRANCE  AND   BELGIUM.  95 

under  the  car  and  the  latter  was  Hfted  in  about  the 
same  way  as  in  Dover.  I  admired  the  fine  electric 
crane  which  so  neatly  performed  this  work.  The 
total  charges  from  Dover  to  Calais,  including  load- 
ing and  unloading,  amounted  to  about  $30 ;  but  after 
the  car  was  on  the  quay  I  was  politely  reminded  that 
every  one  of  the  workmen  who,  some  way  or  an- 
other, had  helped  unloading  or  helped  looking  on 
expected  a  "pourboire."  This  made  me  distribute  a 
few  francs  among  them.  Accompanied  by  a  "doua- 
nier,"  we  now  could  drive  to  the  nearby  custom 
house.  Under  way,  we  picked  up  a  customs  broker 
who  for  about  two  dollars  attended  to  all  formalities 
and  who  sold  us  also  some  "essence"  (that  is  what 
they  call  gasoline  in  France)  and  lubricating  oil. 
The  formalities  were  very  simple  and  were  con- 
cluded in  a  few  minutes. 

I  might  have  been  delayed  much  longer  had  I  not 
previously  applied  to  the  Touring  Club  de  France 
for  a  "triptyque."  I  had  written  them  from  Eng- 
land, sending  a  check  for  about  $120,  which  money 
was  to  be  returned  to  me  after  leaving  France.  My 
"triptyque"  was  a  printed  document,  consisting  of 
three  vouchers ;  hence  its  name.  This  printed  sheet 
contained  the  full  description  of  my  car,  with  its 
number  of  extra  tires ;  furthermore,  it  was  pro- 
vided with  a  small  photograph  of  my  automobile.^ 
One  voucher  was  filed  at  the  custom  house,  while 
the  others  were  returned  to  me  for  further  use. 

The  rough  pave  of  Calais  was  an  unwelcome 
novelty,  after  the  smooth  macadam  roads  of  Eng- 
land. 

It  is  a  common  mistake  to  believe  that  all  roads 


96  FRANCE  AND   BELGIUM. 

in  France  are  excellent.  If  it  is  perfectly  true  that 
some  of  the  French  ''routes  nationales"  are  the  best 
roads  possible,  there  are  nevertheless  several  por- 
tions of  this  country  where  the  highway  is  poor, 
if  not  actually  bad.  This  is  especially  the  case  in 
the  northern  provinces,  where  pave  is  quite  com- 
mon; also  in  other  localities  whenever  the  road 
traverses  a  town. 

The  route  toward  Belgium  is  "pave"  for  sev- 
eral miles  and  is  lined  with  a  double  row  of  crooked 
poplar  trees.  The  country  is  extraordinarily  flat  and 
cultivated  everywhere.  At  the  end  of  about  fifteen 
miles  we  arrived  before  the  "remparts"  of  the  little 
fortified  town  of  Gravelines.  An  old  wooden  draw- 
bridge over  a  moat  with  green,  stagnant  water  led 
us  inside  the  gates.  The  town  had  a  neglected  and 
careless  look.  Some  French  soldiers,  with  faded  red 
pantaloons  and  slouching  gait,  were  walking  about. 

Why  is  it  that  a  nation  famed  for  elegance  should 
have  the  most  slovenly,  worst  dressed  and  worst 
groomed  soldiers?  Wherever  you  see  them  they 
look  about  the  same.  This  is  especially  strange  if 
we  consider  that  in  France  everybody  is  compelled 
to  become  a  soldier,  so  that  the  army  is  recruited 
from  all  classes.  I  have  seen  more  than  one  French- 
man who  dressed  faultlessly  as  a  civilian,  but 
changed  entirely  to  an  appearance  of  shabby  untidi- 
ness as  soon  as  he  donned 'his*  soldier's  uniform.  As 
to  the  unsightly  red  trousers,  I  am  told  that  the 
French  Government  introduced  that  color  in  the 
army  in  order  to  encourage  the  culture  of  madder 
plant,  or  "garance."  I  wonder  how  this  still  helps 
agriculture,  as  a  much  cheaper  and  better  dye  is 


FRANCE   AND   BELGIUM. 


97 


Calais. 


'The   classic   windmills.' 


98  FRANCE  AND   BELGIUM. 

now  produced  chemically  by  "those  terrible  Ger- 
mans." 

We  passed  several  places  with  "unFrench"  sound- 
ing names,  like  Maerdyk,  Dunkerke  and  Zuydcoote. 
The  types  of  the  inhabitants,  as  well  as  the  general 
appearance  of  the  country,  show  unmistakably  that 
they  are  hot  French  but  Flemish,  although  politic- 
ally they  belong  to  the  French  Republic. 

A  good  macadamized  road  ran  very  close  to  one 
of  those  straight  canals  so  numerous  in  the  Low 
Countries.  Even  the  classic  windmills  were  there 
to  complete  this  picture  of  the  Old  Netherlands.  At 
Ghyvelde  the  polite  French  "douaniers"  signed  our 
"triptyque,"  an  indispensable  formality  for  enabling 
us  to  re-enter  France  with  our  motor  car.  We  were 
now  in  Belgian  Flanders.  Road  and  canal  ran  al- 
ways side  by  side  and  the  general  aspect  of  the  land- 
scape had  not  changed. 

At  Adinkerke  we  were  stopped  by  the  Belgian 
custom  house.  While  in  England  I  had  at  first  not  in- 
tended to  take  my  motor  car  to  Belgium  and  there- 
fore had  omitted  to  send  for  a  Belgian  "triptyque," 
and  this  now  led  to  quite  some  complications.  The 
customs  officer,  although  very  courteous,  insisted 
firmly  that  I  should  deposit  the  sum  of  1,700  francs 
in  none  other  than  Belgian  currency.  I  was  amply 
supplied  with  British  gold,  but  this  was  not  ac- 
cepted, and  it  was  impossible  to  exchange  same  be- 
cause in  this  little  place  nobody  seemed  to  know  the 
relative  value  of  English  money.  After  some  de- 
liberations I  was  directed  to  the  local  financier,  a 
kind  of  half  peasant,  half  usurer.  He  was  willing 
to   change  the  money  provided   I   gave  him   fifty 


.  FRANCE   AND   BELGIUM.  99 

francs.  At  this  absurd  proposal  I  was  ready  to  re- 
turn to  Dunkerke,  where  there  was  a  bank  and 
where  I  might  be  able  to  obtain  French  gold,  but 
the  receiver  finally  made  up  his  mind  to  accept  my 
English  sovereigns  at  the  rate  of  twenty-five  francs, 
which  certainly  was  favoring  him  with  a  neat  com- 
mission. Even  then  he  had  probably  his  misgivings, 
because  he  asked  me  to  let  his  clerk  ride  with  our 
car  to  the  next  town,  where  the  money  was  ex- 
changed at  the  local  bank. 

My  baggage  was  passed  unopened  and  unques- 
tioned, but  I  was  compelled  to  pay  a  franc  for  a 
license  number.  This  small  sum  procured  me  a 
well-made,  enameled  number  plate,  which  was  to  be 
attached  to  my  car.  Afterward  we  passed  Nieu- 
poort.  Some  miles  further  the  excellent  macadam 
changed  again  into  stone  pavement.  From  now  on 
we  met  many  well-equipped,  very  modern  limousines 
and  landaulets.  This  was  the  first  sign  that  we  were 
approaching  that  most  mundane  and  luxurious  of  all 
European  sea  resorts,  Ostend. 

Not  so  very  long  ago  this  city  was  merely  a  small 
fishing  port.  History  made  it  famous  for  the  Spar- 
tan heroism  displayed  while  the  beleaguered  popula- 
tion stubbornly  resisted  the  Spanish  troops  during 
the  war  in  the  Netherlands.  In  the  last  century  ij 
has  acquired  an  ever-increasing  importance  as  a 
bathing  resort,  until  of  late  years  it  has  outstripped 
all  its  rivals  by  the  number  of  its  visitors  from  all 
countries  as  well  as  by  the  opulence  of  its  hotels 
and  the  extravagance  of  its  gay  life.  Fashionable 
gambling,  which  was  always  one  of  the  great  attrac- 
tions of  Ostend,  had  been  somewhat  subdued  for  a 


100  FRANCE   AND    BELGIUM.     . 

short  period  and  the  prosperity  of  the  place  seemed 
to  be  threatened  seriously.  But  this  year  the  Belgian 
law  courts  had  reversed  former  restrictive  decisions. 
The  result  was  that  now  again  the  place  was  visited 
more  than  ever,  and  at  the  same  time  the  class  of 
women  who  are  always  to  be  found  wherever  gam- 
bling flourishes  had  reappeared  in  increasing  num- 
bers. 

The  Shah  of  Persia,  or  some  other  Eastern 
crowned  head,  was  expected,  and  the  gay  season  was 
at  its  climax  when  I  arrived  there.  Hotels  were 
filled  beyond  what  seemed  possible  and  shopkeepers 
as  well  as  hotel  proprietors  were  reaping  a  golden 
harvest. 

On  the  spacious  and  cleanly  tiled  walk  that  forms 
the  top  of  a  well-built,  sloping  stone  wall  thou- 
sands of  promenaders,  dressed  in  gay  summer 
clothes,  walked  in  the  glaring  sun.  On  this  famous 
"digue  de  mer"  there  is  not  a  tree  nor  a  shrub  nor 
a  touch  of  green  in  sight;  the  only  available  shade 
is  provided  by  the  massive  row  of  substantial  hotels 
and  villas.  The  latter  offer  the  very  characteristic 
spectacle  of  their  occupants  all  sitting  before  the 
open  windows  or  balconies,  while  the  endless  pro- 
cession of  walkers  is  moving  leisurely  on.  On  this 
p;-omenade  is  the  Kursaal,"a  dome-shaped  structure 
with  wide-open  veranda  and  coated  with  a  combina- 
tion of  pale  blue  and  cream-colored  enameled  tiles. 
Inside  this  building  the  very  best  of  musical  per- 
formances was  going  on,  while  the  listening  crowd 
was  sipping  its  coffee  or  enjoying  its  afternoon 
cigar,  many  women  smoking  cigarettes. 

Ostend,  like  most  of  the  bathing  resorts  of  this 


FRANCE   AND   BELGIUM. 


lOI 


part  of  the  northern  coast,  has  an  excellent  .beach, 
sandy  and  broad;  but  its  muddy,  yellowish-looking 
water  is  a  decided  disappointment  to  anyone  who  is 
accustomed  to  really  clear  and  blue  sea-water.  Un- 
like in  England,  but  according  to  general  Continen- 
tal custom,  both  sexes  bathe  together.  Ladies  do 
not  wear  stockings  and  several  of  the  bathing  cos- 


liltlc    woodi-u    Luuai-s   on    wheels." 


tumes  are  of  the  scantiest  pattern.  It  is  not  an  un- 
usual sight  to  see  women  bathers  carry  their  whole 
bathing  suit  in  a  bag  not  larger  than  a  good-sized 
pocketbook. 

The  beach  was  literally  black  with  bathers  and 
onlookers.  The  former  are  compelled  to  dress  in 
little  wooden  hot^ses  on  wheels,  called  "cabines." 
After  the  candidate  for  a  bath  is  ready  a  fisherman 


102 


FRANCE   AND   BELGIUM. 


FRANCE  AND   BELGIUM. 


103 


104  FRANCE   AND   BELGIUM. 

driver  with  half-bare  legs  comes  along,  attaches  his 
stout  horse  to  the  vehicle  and  drives  the  outfit 
toward  the  sea,  until  the  rear  steps  touch  the  water. 
After  the  bather  returns  from  his  bath  he  steps  into 
the  same  vehicle,  which  is  pulled  back  on  the  dry 
beach. 

The  number  of  visitors  this  year  had  increased 
to  such  unprecedented  proportions  that  sometimes 
the  bathers  had  to  wait  many  hours  before  they 
could  be  accommodated.  It  was  a  sight  to  see  the 
struggling  crowd  dispute  with  each  other  the  tem- 
porary possession  of  a  bathing  car  as  soon  as  it  left 
the  water  and  long  before  the  previous  occupant 
was  through  with  his  toilet.  On  the  strength  of  the 
tremendous  success  of  Ostend,  the  whole  Flemish 
coast  has  become  dotted  with  numerous  smaller 
bathing  resorts;  these  have  become  patronized  by 
people  of  quieter  tastes. 

King  Leopold,  who  in  other  fields,  too,  has  earned 
the  reputation  of  a  shrewd  financier,  has  used  his 
influence  to  the  fullest  extent  in  obtaining  for  Ostend 
and  environs  the  many  costly  improvements  that 
have  contributed  so  much  to  the  development  of  the 
place.  The  Belgian  sovereign  is  one  of  the  largest 
landholders  on  the  coast,  and  he  has  been  no  loser 
by  the  extraordinary  increase  of  land  values  in  this 
section  of  his  realm. 

As  I  was  well  acquainted  with  Ostend  from 
former  visits,  I  concluded  not  to  spend  too  much 
time  there,  but  to  reach  Bruges  before  evening.  A 
newly  made  macadamized  road  ends  near  the  latter 
town,  and  from  there  on  everything  becomes  hor- 
rible pavement. 


FRANCE   AND    BELGIUM.  105 

Bruges,  the  ancient  Flemish  city  which  has  in- 
spired no  less  a  poet  than  Longfellow,  is  an  old  ac- 
quaintance of  mine.  But  I  had  not  been  there  since 
long  ago,  and  reminiscences  of  my  youth  came  to 
my  mind  when  I  drove  into  these  silent  streets,  lined 
with  clean  and  pretty  brick  houses,  where  Flemish 
step-gables  follow  each  other  in  quaint  succession. 
The  chimes  of  the  ever  stately  Halletoren  played 
their  old  familiar  tunes,  as  in  friendlv  welcome.     I 


"Bruges,  the  ancient  Flemish  city  which  has  inspired  no  less 
a  poet  than    Longfellow." 

was  to  Stay  here  one  day,  and  we  drove  directly  to 
the  little  Hotel  de  Flandres,  a  clean  and  well-kept 
hostelry,  which  I  found  fille'd  with  tourists  from  all 
countries. 

After  supper  I  went  out  for  a  lonesome  stroll 
through  the  deserted  streets.  The  all-pervading 
silence  was  broken  only  by  the  noise  of  my  own 
loitering  steps.  The  feeling  of  deathlike  rest  which 
hung  over  the  town  was  emphasized  now  and  then 


io6  FRANCE  AND   BELGIUM. 

by  the  clear  ringing  tunes  from  the  watchful  belfry. 

These  were  the  self-same  chimes  which  rang  their 

rhythmic  music  in  the  fifteenth  century,  at  a  time 

when  Bruges  was  the  proud  residence  of  the  rich 

and  mighty  Counts  of  Flanders ;  when  the  wealthy 

Flemish    inhabitants,    traders    and    craftsmen,    had 

1 


"The  ever  stately  Halletoren." 

brought  their  city  unto  the  height  of  her  glory  and 
had  made  her  known  all  over  the  civilized  world. 
Envious  Jeanne  de  Navarre,  Queen  of  France,  may 
have  listened  to  these  bells  the  very  day  when,  at 
the  sight  of  the  better  dressed  wives  and  daughters 
of  the  burghers  of  Bruges,  she  exclaimed,  in  angry 


FRANCE  AND   BELGIUM. 


107 


impatience,  "I  thought  I  was  the  only  queen  here, 
but  I  see  hundreds  of  them." 

Things  have  changed  very  much  indeed  since 
those  times  of  splendor  and  prosperity.  The  popu- 
lation, which  once  attained  200,000,  has  slowly 
dwindled  to  barely  50,000  inhabitants,  and  of  this 
small  number  about  11,000  are  supported  by  alms 
or  charity.  The  largest  properties  are  held  by  con- 
vents and  numerous  other  Roman  Catholic  institu- 


where  Flemish  step-gables  follow  each  other  in  quaint 
succession." 


tions,  which  during  centuries  of  greedy  accumula- 
tion have  succeeded  in  hoarding  up  enormous 
wealth.  But  this  affluence,  instead  of  stimulating 
the  spirit  of  enterprise,  has  merely  been  used  for 
keeping  in  bondage  that  portion  of  the  population 
that  lives  on  charity,  as  a  matter  of  course;  even 
worse,  it  had  systematized  the  general  torpor  of  this 
old  relic  of  the  Middle  Ages. 

Some    Britishers    have   discovered   that    Bruges, 


io8  FRANCE   AND   BELGIUM. 

with  its  cheap  rents,  its  close  proximity  to  England, 
cheap  servants  and  inexpensive  food  products,  al- 
lows them  to  get  along  respectably  on  an  income 
which  at  home  would  be  insufficient  for  living  prop- 
erly. The  result  has  been  the  gradual  formation  of 
a  British  colony,  numbering  thousands,  mostly  re- 
tired officials  or  their  pensioned  families.  A  recently 
built  canal  makes  of  Bruges  an  inland  seaport,  and 
is  expected  to  revive  some  of  its  former  importance. 

I  went  to  bed  and  soon  was  heavily  asleep,  as  if 
imbued  with  the  general  narcotic  tendency  of  the 
town.  In  the  early  morning  hours  I  was  rudely 
awakened  by  loud  puffs  of  smoke  which,  close  to 
my  open  window^  shot  up  from  the  little  steam 
train  that  rolls  noisily  through  the  otherwise  sleepy 
streets  of  Bruges.  Shortly  afterward  the  heavy 
rumble  of  an  occasional  milk-cart,  driven  by  some 
peasant  woman,  or  the  loud  talking  of  some  passers- 
by,  or  again,  the  clatter  of  wooden  shoes  on  the 
stone  pavement,  seemed  to  concentrate  all  noise  of 
the  town  at  a  time  when  most  people  were  still  try- 
ing to  sleep. 

Bruges  was  about  as  far  in  Belgium  as  I  cared 
to  go  with  my  motor  car.  There  are  many  very 
interesting  places  in  that  country^  famous  for  their 
treasures  of  art,  their  unsurpassed  examples  of  archi- 
tecture, their  industries  or  their  commerce^  and 
Brussels,  the  very  elegant  capital,  has  fitly  been 
named  "Little  Paris."  But  I  was  well  acquainted 
with  all  this;  furthermore,  the  larger  portion  of 
northern  Belgium,  including  Flanders,  has  horrible 
pavement ;  only  in  the  southeastern  part,  near  the 
Ardennes,  are  good  macadamized  roads  to  be  found. 


FRANCE   AND   BELGIUM.  109 

Under  the  circumstances  I  concluded  to  leave  the 
car  in  Bruges,  under  the  care  of  Lewis,  and  to  take 
a  local  train  to  join  my  little  family  in  Ghent. 

A  few  days  afterward  we  all  returned  from  there 
to  Bruges,  ready  to  continue  our  trip  toward  France. 
That  day  I  had  invited  a  friend  of  mine,  who  was 
to  accompany  us  as  far  as  Ostend,  where,  at  his 
villa,  he  intended  to  join  his  family.  From  previous 
experience  this  friend  had  become  rather  skeptical 
as  to  automobiles  in  general,  and  more  particularly 
so  in  regard  to  our  intended  tour  through  Europe. 
But  he  had  not  been  long  with  us  when  he  began  to 
think  it  would  be  pleasant  to  try  a  somewhat  longer 
journey  in  what  he  complimentarily  called  our 
"Salon-mobile." 

Before  he  realized  it  we  were  past  the  Belgian 
frontier,  and  some  time  afterward  we  arrived  in 
Calais,  whence  he  had  to  return  homewards  by  a 
very  different  ride,  in  a  hot  and  unpleasant  railroad 
car.  The  comparison  of  both  ways  of  traveling 
seems  to  have  impressed  him  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
quite  kindle  his  latent  motor  enthusiasm,  and  I  shall 
not  be  surprised  if,  one  of  these  days,  I  receive  from 
him  the  news  that  he,  too,  has  purchased  an  auto- 
mobile. 

Our  road  to  Calais  was  the  same  we  had  used 
for  coming.  Three  days  beforehand  I  had  wired 
to  the  Belgian  custom-house  officer  at  Adinkerke  to 
notify  him  of  my  intended  return  to  France,  when 
I  would  reclaim  the  money  I  had  left  there  on  de- 
posit. Although  I  had  requested  him  to  pay  me  back 
in  gold,  I  was  compelled  to  accept  Belgian  paper, 
the  reason  being  that  the  banks  in  Belgium  were 


no  FRANCE. 

not  willing,  on  any  payments,  to  give  more  gold 
than  a  fraction  of  the  total  amount.  As  Belgian 
banknotes  are  not  accepted  in  France,  I  was  obliged, 
on  arrival  in  the  latter  country,  to  change  again,  at 
some  loss,  into  French  paper. 

At  the  French  custom  house,  where  we  stopped 
a  few  minutes,  while  my  French  triptyque  was  being 
vised,  I  noticed  a  flurry  of  excitement  among  the 
people  around  the  little  building.     Some  smugglers 


"At  tlif   iMfnch  custom  house   where  we  stopped  a  few  minutes." 

had  just  been  caught.  Everywhere  the  floor  was 
covered  with  soldered  flat  boxes  of  sheet  zinc,  in 
which  tobacco  had  been  hidden.  The  boxes  had  been 
found  attached  underneath  the  flat-bottomed  hull  of 
a  canal  boat,  which  was  tied  near  the  shore.  The 
officers  seemed  jubilant,  because  they  were  entitled 
to  a  percentage  of  their  find.  Their  behavior  was  a 
great  contrast  to  that  of  the  abject-looking  and  fear- 
stricken  prisoners.     Our  car  might  have  contained 


FRANCE.  in 

lots  of  tobacco,  but  the  custom-house  officers  did  not 
even  deem  it  worth  while  to  examine  it.  I  felt  glad 
to  think  that,  to  them,  we  looked  sufficiently  honest 
and  law-abiding  to  pass  without  further  scrutiny. 

When  nearing  Calais  we  were  stopped  again  by 
the  "octroi,"  a  sort  of  local  custom  house,  established 
near  the  entrance  of  each  town  or  village  in  France, 
and  a  most  antiquated,  cumbersome  way  of  levying 
taxes  on  food  products  and  other  merchandise,  and 
of  providing  revenue  for  local  administration.  It 
looks  much  like  a  custom  of  the  dark  ages  to  see 
uniformed  officers  at  the  entrance  of  every  town, 
however  small,  examine  carefully  each  passerby, 
look  at  each  cart,  each  parcel  or  bundle,  even  poking' 
into  them  with  a  long,  pointed  steel  rod.  All  this 
to  ascertain  if  anyone  tries  to  evade  the  payment  of 
a  few  centimes  for  "octroi."  Gasoline,  too,  pays 
about  one  "sou"  per  litre,  but  I  soon  learned  that  for 
automobiles,  especially  when  they  have  a  foreign- 
looking  appearance,  much  leniency  is  shown.  In 
France  ordinarily  a  "Rien  a  declarer!"  is  accepted 
with  a  polite  "Merci,"  and  there  is  no  further  delay. 
In  some  towns,  where  a  little  more  hesitation  seemed 
to  exist,  I  simply  said,  "Nous  sommes  seulement  de 
passage.  Nous  venons  de  New  York  et  allons  a 
Naples."  Everywhere,  except  in  Paris,  this  state- 
ment stopped  all  further  formalities  and  often  made 
the  astonished  officer  look  at  us  as  if  we  were  freaks ; 
he  sometimes  ended  with  a  military  salute  and  a 
friendly  smile,  while  he  yelled  out,  "Passez!  Bon 
voyage !" 

After  Calais  we  went  further  over  Guines,  Mar- 
quise, Wimille.    The  road  began  to  be  less  monoto- 


112  FRANCE. 

nous,  and  in  some  parts  changed  into  a  succession  of 
short  incHnes,  but  the  villages  did  not  have  that 
aspect  of  tidiness  nor  the  cultivated  country  that 
appearance  of  trimness  which  made  the  landscape 
of  south  England  so  pleasing  to  the  eye.  The  roads 
were  mostly  lined  in  dull  uniformity  with  rows  of 
unvarying  poplar  trees.  The  same  kind  were  to  be 
found  along  the  ditches  which  separate  the  fields. 
The  latter,  although  well  cultivated,  seemed  monot- 
onously utilitarian.  Neither  did  we  meet  the  taste- 
fully kept  large  country  seats,  as  in  England  or 
Scotland,  nor  the  lovely,  well-trimmed  green  lawns, 
the  pride  of  the  British  landscape.  The  pavement 
indicated  now  that  we  were  near  Boulogne-sur-Mer. 
We  entered  the  town  by  an  antique-looking  tower 
gate. 

Happening  to  ask  our  way  of  bystanders,  two  lads, 
in  their  eagerness  to  answer  us,  rushed  at  the  same 
time  toward  the  two  opposite  foot  steps  of  the  car- 
riage, and,  poking  their  heads  inward,  started  to  reel 
off  a  string  of  voluble  explanations,  talking,  both  at 
the  same  time,  very  loudly  and  very  fast,  thus  trying 
to  outcry  one  another,  while  gesticulating  wildly, 
with  the  result  that  we  were  unable  to  understand 
either  of  our  eager  informants. 

Two  workingmen  standing  near  by  made  matters 
worse  by  excitedly  joining  in  the  general  explana- 
tions and  gesticulations.  I  knew  by  experience  that 
in  a  similar  case  the  best  thing  to  do  is  to  not  inter- 
pose a  single  word,  but  patiently  wait  until  they  are 
all  talked  out;  then,  while  they  are  gasping  for  a 
new  supply  of  breathy  isolate'the  most  intelligent 
one  and  ask  him  repeatedly  one  direct  question,  un- 


FRANCE. 


113 


'We  entered  the  town  by  an   amuiue-looking  tower  gate. 


.    .    .    possesses  a  picturesque  background  of  steep  'falaises. 


114  FRANCE. 

til  he  answers  it  in  the  same  direct  way,  not  giv- 
ing him  a  chance  to  fall  again  into  superposed  and 
endless  explanations. 

I  succeeded  in  reaching  the  lower  town,  near  the 
sea,  where  the  better  hotels  are  situated.  I  was  sorry 
to  discover  that  on  account  of  the  English  bank  holi- 
days the  hotels  were  all  crowded  with  British  tour- 
ists, and  this  t^ompelled  us  to  take  whatever  accom- 
modation we  could  get,  although  finally  we  found 
acceptable  roctms  at  the  Hotel  du  Louvre.  It  pos- 
sessed a  well-lighted  garage  of  extraordinary  size, 
situated  in  the  middle  of  the  hotel  and  provided  with 
a  pit  for  inspection.  We  were  particularly  glad  to 
be  supplied  again  with  excellent  plain  drinking 
water,  a  commodity  hard  to  find  in  the  alluvial 
regions  along  the  northern  coast  of  France.  In  Os- 
tend  and  neighboring  sea  resorts  the  drinking  water 
is  so  positively  bad  as  to  become  a  serious  danger 
to  the  consumer,  and  a  source  of  revenue  for  the 
hotel-keeper,  who  thus  finds  ready  opportunity  to 
sell  mineral  waters  at  his  own  price. 

There  was  fine  sea  bathing  at  the  wide  beach, 
which  is  incomparably  less  visited  than  Ostend,  but 
has  the  great  advantage  of  cleaner-looking  water. 
Moreover,  it  possesses  a  picturesque  background  of 
steep  "falaises,"  somewhat  similar  to  the  cliffs  of  the 
south  coast  of  England. 

Lewis  reported  to  me  that  a  large  bolt  had  dropped 
from  the  transmission  box  of  our  machine  and  that 
we  had  none  to  replace  it.  I  was  reassured  after- 
ward on  finding  out  that  a  new  bolt  could  be  made 
to  order  at  a  small  cost.  I  was  somewhat  surprised' 
to  discover  that  the  local  machinist  was  able  to 


FRANCE.  115 

duplicate  this  American  thread  on  his  French  lathe, 
ajthough  the  latter  was  made  after  the  metric  sys- 
tem, which  is  not  used  in  England  or  the  United 
States,  but  is  the  exclusive  standard  of  weights  and 
measures  accepted  by  all  other  civilized  nations,  and 
much  simpler  and  more  rational  than  our  antiquated 
and  cumbersome  system,  borrowed  from  the  Eng- 
lish. 

Our  night's  rest  at  the  hotel  was  unpleasantly  in- 
terrupted by  the  ceaseless  whistling  and  puffing  of 
locomotives  near  our  open  windows.  I  cannot  un- 
derstand why  the  European  continent  does  not  abol- 
ish that  barbarous  practice  of  the  train  men,  who 
make  as  much  noise  as  possible.  The  slightest  ma- 
noeuvring of  locomotives  by  night,  as  well  as  by  day, 
seems  to  them  impossible  without  the  nerve-racking 
shriek  of  shrill  steam  whistles.  Signaling  with  the 
hand  or  the  portable  lantern,  as  practiced  in  the 
States,  seems  to  be  totally  unknown. 

We  left  the  hotel  in  the  morning,  first  settling  our 
accounts  and  distributing  the  usual  "pourboire"  to 
the  garage  men,  porters  and  other  employees  of  the 
hotel.  These  poor  fellows'  have  no  other  income 
than  their  tips,  and  as  the  hotel  bills  are  proportion- 
ately much  smaller  than  in  the  United  States,  I 
never  feel  like  begrudging  this  little  extra  outlay, 
especially  if  it  insures  more  careful  service.  Never- 
theless, whenever  J  give  a  tip  I  feel  as  if  I  humili- 
ated the  man  who  receives  it.  And  yet  the  re- 
cipients seem  to  be  quite  willing  to  help  me  in  dis- 
pelling any  scruples  I  may  feel  on  this  subject,  and 
the  very  eagerness  with  which  they  accept  even 
small  tips  leaves  no  room   for  doubt  that  if  any 


ii6  FRANCE. 

humiliating  is  to  be  done  it  will  only  be  the  result 
of  the  absence  of  a  tip  or  a  too  meagre  contribution. 

Some  Americans  are  not  aware  of  the  fact  that  in 
many  hotels  or  restaurants  of  Europe  servants  re- 
ceive little  or  no  wages,  and  must  live  on  tips.  To 
such  it  may  be  interesting  to  hear  that  in  many  of 
the  best-known  hotels  and  restaurants  the  pro- 
prietor, instead  of  paying  wages,  receives  money 
from  his  employees.  For  instance,  the  obsequious 
head  porter,  with  his  gold-trimmed  cap  and  uni- 
form, has  often  to  pay  a  considerable  sum  of  money 
to  the  proprietor  of  a  large,  well-established  hotel, 
and  he  has  to  recover  his  outlay  through  the  daily 
tips  he  receives.  I  know  of  several  instances  where 
the  increasing  prosperity  of  the  porter  enabled  him 
to  buy  up  the  whole  hotel  with  the  gradual  accu- 
mulation of  his  "pourboires." 

I  should  call  this  a  contemptible  system  through- 
out, but  one  which  has  received  the  sanction  of  time 
and  custom  from  the  early  days,  when  the  tourist 
was  supposed  to  be  a  rich  and  important  person  and 
when  all  the  employees  of  the  hotel  were  considered 
to  be  his  abject  servants.  This  custom  is  un- 
fortunately encroaching  on  our  more  democratic 
country,  and  in  New  York  and  Chicago  we  have 
come  to  the  point  where  the  untrained  black  or  white 
restaurant  waiter  expects  a  tip,  even  when  he  gives 
nothing  in  return  but  clumsiness,  aggravated  by 
boorish  manners,  and  impudence.  Let  us  hope  we 
may  come  to  our  senses  and  not  further  encourage 
this  imported  anachronism. 

We  left  Boulogne  with  the  intention  of  buying 
our   supply   of   gasoline   outside   the    town    limits. 


FRANCE.  H7 

where  the  material  is  always  less  expensive,  because 
it  has  to  pay  no  octroi  tax.  I  found  that  for  daily 
consumption  this  made  a  regular  economy  of  sev- 
eral dollars.  As  in  England,  the  gasoline  is  neatly 
put  up  in  tin  cans,  properly  sealed  and  provided  with 
very  practical  devices  for  emptying  quickly.  The 
empty  cans  are  everywhere  taken  in  exchange,  or 
their  value  is  refunded  at  a  uniform  price,  so  that  it 
is  possible  to  carry  along  full  cans  and  deliver  the 
empty  receptacles  at  any  other  store  en  route.  Very 
often  the  cans  contain  grit  or  pieces  of  solder;  on 
account  of  this  a  funnel  provided  with  fine  metallic 
gauze  is  indispensable. 

The  lad  who  delivered  us  the  "essence"  at  the 
garage  was  about  sixteen  years  old.  On  inquiry  he 
told  me  that  his  weekly  wage  was  one  franc  and 
seventy-five  centimes,  or  about  thirty-five  cents ;  he 
added  that  similar  wages  would  keep  up  as  long  as 
he  was  "apprenti."  When  o.nce  he  had  thoroughly 
mastered  his  trade,  he  would  become  a  full-fledged 
'^ouvrier."  From  then  on  he  could  expect  as  much 
as  five  to  six  dollars  a  week.  The  intelligent-looking 
boy  was  very  polite  and  made  a  good  impression ; 
he  compared  favorably  with  the  average  reckless, 
impudent  youngster  found  in  almost  any  garage  in 
New  York,  who,  as  a  starter,  is  paid  from  six  to 
eight  dollars  a  week,  while  his  main  activity  is 
directed  toward  spoiling  automobiles  that  are  sent  to 
the  garage  for  repairs,  and  whose  damaging  help  his 
employer  sells  to  the  victim  at  the  rate  of  fifty  or 
sixty  cents  an  hour. 

If,  at  this  stage  of  our  tour,  we  had  strictly  fol- 
lowed the  requirements  of  the  French  automobile 


ii8  FRANCE. 

laws  we  should  have  gone  to  Arras,  the  nearest 
town,  after  our  arrival  in  France,  where  we  could 
undergo  the  necessary  examination,  without  which 
no  automobilist  can  obtain  the  prescribed  driver's 
license.  But  Arras  lay  quite  outside  of  our  itinerary, 
and  it  was  much  more  convenient  to  attend  to  these 
formalities  in  Havre ;  therefore,  I  concluded  to  take 
chances  with  the  law  and  trust  to  the  proverbial 
courtesy  of  French  officials  toward  foreign  tourists. 
In  the  meantime  my  American,  British  and  Belgian 
numbers  were  dangling  aft  and  forward  on  the  car, 
a  rather  bewildering  sight  for  French  gendarmes. 

The  road  over  Samer  and  Montreuil  to  Abbeville 
is  a  "route  nationale,"  very  straight  and  well  sur- 
faced, with  several  strong  but  steady  grades.  Abbe- 
ville, with  its  wooden  gables,  reminds  one  somewhat 
of  the  architecture  of  English  houses  of  the  Eliza- 
bethan period.  It  presented  a  more  picturesque  ap- 
pearance than  most  French  towns  we  had  seen  thus 
far.  We  passed  the  Somme,  and  then  the  Bresle, 
and  ran  through  Eu,  which  formerly  was  the  favor- 
ite residence  of  Louis  Philippe.  The  landscape  be- 
came more  cheerful  but  more  hilly,  and  now  and 
then  we  had  a  short  glimpse  of  the  nearby  sea.  We 
had  stopped  en  route  to  buy  some  supplies  for  lunch ; 
these  were  eaten  in  the  shady  corner  of  a  meadow, 
where  we  took  some  rest  while  the  children  played 
and  romped  about. 

Later  on,  at  about  three  in  the  afternoon,  we 
reached  Dieppe.  This  seaport  made  a  very  pleasant 
impression.  The  clear  blue  water  in  the  well-kept 
dock  basins  seemed  to  add  to  the  general  appearance 
of  cleanliness  of  the  town.    We  just  took  the  time 


FRANCE.  119 

to  run  through  the  principal  thoroughfares,  and  soon 
afterward  were  again  on  the  pretty  country  road. 

From  now  on  we  began  to  meet  well-kept  farm- 
houses, surrounded  with  high  hedges  of  green  trees. 
For  the  first  time  since  we  were  on  the  Continent 
we  passed  along  roads  of  which  the  borders  were 
trimmed  just  as  carefully  as  in  England.  A  sign  on 
one  of  the  houses,  "Cidre,  Lait  et  Essence,"  made  us 
realize  the  fact  that  we  were  now  in  Normandy.  The 
three  commodities,  as  advertised,  were  just  what  we 
were  looking  for.  Milk  is  an  article  which,  in  sum- 
mer especially,  seems  difficult  to  obtain  in  France 
and  Italy,  outside  of  breakfast  hours.  If  restaurants 
or  cafes  possess  it  at  all,  their  supply  seems  to  be 
very  scant  and  their  charges  extraordinarily  high. 
A  small  glass  of  milk  costs  generally  more  than  a 
glass  of  good  wine. 

We  stopped;  but  my  first  acquaintance  with  the 
famous  "cidre  de  Normandie"  was  decidedly  dis- 
appointing. It  was  an  awful  beverage,  tasting  like 
a  mixture  of  vinegar  and  pine  tar,  which  I  refrained 
wisely  from  touching  further.  As  to  the  milk  and 
essence,  the  shopkeeper  explained  that  his  supply 
was  entirely  exhausted.  A  few  miles  farther  we 
found  all  that  we  wanted  at  Veules-les-Roses,  a  very 
busy  little  summer  resort,  where  the  streets  were 
crowded  with  incoming  and  outgoing  automobiles. 

Our  road  had  now  become  decidedly  pretty  and 
took  us  farther  along  the  lovely  coast  of  Nor- 
mandy, with  its  white  cliflfs.  From  now  on  there 
was  a  succession  of  little  fisher  villages,  and  in  the 
summer  time  every  one  of  them  becomes  a  bathing 
resort.     The  water  everywhere  is  transparent  and 


120  FRANCE. 

blue;  but  the  beach  is  generally  slanting  and  cov- 
ered with  small  flat  pebbles  which  make  walking 
difficult.  We  passed  St.  Valery-en-Caux,  with  its 
little  harbor  snugly  hidden  in  a  hollow  between  white 
cliffs;  then  Veulettes ;  then  afterward  the  some- 
what larger  town  of  Fecamp,  known  principally  by 
the  much-advertised  liquor  distillery  of  the  Benedic- 
tine monks. 

In  Normandy  many  roads  are  ballasted  with  flint 
stones,  and  the  numerous  loose  sharp  fragments  had 
a  very  cutting  effect  on  our  rubber  tires.  This  cir- 
cumstance, together  with  the  fact  that  the  French 
peasants  wear  shoes  with  hobnails,  which  get  loose, 
and  thus  scatter  everywhere,  made  us  feel  some  con- 
cern about  our  tires  and  induced  us  to  give  them 
frequent  inspection.  That  day  we  picked  five  nails 
out  of  our  tire-covers,  but  fortunately  none  had 
pierced  the  air-chamber. 

Our  car  had  again  run  exceedingly  well,  and  if 
we  had  made  no  better  time  this  was  due  to  frequent 
stops.  Sometimes  we  halted  to  allow  us  to  do  some 
walking;  then  again  to  ascertain  the  direction  of 
the  road.  The  French  road  signs  are  very  complete 
and  very  minute ;  they  indicate  not  only  the  different 
localities  but  also  the  distance,  in  fractions  of  a  kilo- 
meter, as  well  as  the  grades  of  the  road.  Unfortu- 
nately they  are  almost  invisible  except  at  close  range. 
They  are  made  of  cast  iron,  and  the  lettering,  which 
is  too  small,  is  rendered  still  less  visible  by  an  un- 
fortunate choice  of  pale  blue  paint  on  a  white  back- 
ground. After  awhile  the  whole  thing  turns  into  a 
uniform  faded  color,  impossible  to  read  except  at 
close  distance.     Private  enterprise,  represented  by 


FRANCE.  121 

the  Touring  Club  de  France,  the  Michelin  Tire  Com- 
pany, the  De  Dion-Bouton  Company,  and  others, 
has  improved  very  much  on  these  official  signs  by 
erecting  here  and  there,  at  dangerous  places,  less 
expensive  but  incomparably  more  readable  direc- 
tions. On  account  of  hesitations  as  to  the  road,  it 
took  us  sometimes  from  twenty  to  thirty  minutes 
to  get  through  small  towns  of  many  streets. 

We  were  quite  near  the  end  of  our  day's  trip, 
pretty  Etretat.  From  the  hilly  road  the  little  place 
made  a  charming  picture.  A  sharp  descent  brought 
us  into  narrow  streets  leading  up  to  the  Hotel  Hau- 
ville,  where  we  stored  our  car  next  to  several  others 
in  a  specially  provided  barn. 

Etretat,  small  as  it  is,  has  the  reputation  of  being 
one  of  the  most  fashionable  watering  places  on  the 
northern  coast  of  France.  The  first  impulse  of  suc- 
cess of  Etretat  was  brought  about  at  a  time  when 
some  well-known  Parisian  artists  and  litterateurs 
were  attracted  by  its  picturesque  surroundings.  I 
doubt,  however,  whether  the  cramped  and  shingly 
beach  is  really  adapted  for  the  ever-increasing  num- 
ber of  visitors,  who,  by  their  very  crowding,  have 
taken  away  the  former  quiet  loveliness  of  this  idyllic 
retreat.  Numerous  villas  and  cottages  surround  the 
town,  and  their  pretty  gardens  remind  one  very 
much  of  those  which  adorn  small  English  country 
residences. 

My  only  reason  for  stopping  at  Etretat  was  that 
one  of  my  best  friends  had  rented  a  villa,  and  with 
his  family  was  spending  the  summer  there. 

During  my  stay  of  a  few  days  I  took  the  neces- 
sary time  to  drive  to  Havre,  which  is  only  27  kilo- 


122  FRANCE. 

meters  away,  and  where  I  went  to  apply  for  my 
French  license.  I  knew  that  it  was  customary  to  first 
make  an  appointment  to  meet  the  official  who  has 
this  matter  in  charge ;  then  to  arrive  prepared  with 
.small  photographs  of  the  applicants,  as  well  as  a 
general  description  of  the  motor  car,  supplemented 
by  a  blue  print  of  the  chassis,  as  furnished  by  the 
automobile  manufacturers.  I  possessed  all  the  latter 
documents  when,  in  company  with  my  friends,  I 
drove  to  the  office  of  Monsieur  I'lngenieur,  who  was 
to  grant  me  the  license  that  was  to  bring  me  in  con- 
formity with  the  law. 

I  found  a  very  friendly  middle-aged  gentleman. 
I  showed  him  my  New  York  and  British  licenses, 
together  with  my  log-book  and  diary.  After  all  this 
abundant  evidence  that  we  were  no  green  hands  at 
motor  cars,  and  had  never  caused  accidents,  he  told 
me  that  he  did  not  think  it  necessary  to  submit  us 
to  a  practical  examination.  He  added  that  it  would 
take  two  or  three  weeks,  perhaps  more,  before  we 
would  receive  from  the  French  Government  our 
final  license  certificate,  which  would  indicate  at  the 
same  time  the  number  we  must  carry  on  our  car. 
However,  he  gave  us  a  ''permis  provisoire  de  circu-' 
lation,"  and  advised  us  to  carry  this  document  in  the 
car  so  as  to  show  it  in  case  the  poHce  should  stop 
us.  In  the  meantime  this  would  enable  us  to  con- 
tinue our  voyage  without  risk  of  fine.  He  added, 
jokingly,  that  touring  Americans  were  ordinarily 
such  hustlers  as  to  be  flying  through  far-away  coun- 
tries or  even  to  be  back  home  before  the  final  license 
could  reach  them.  This  was  precisely  what  hap- 
pened to  me,  and  never  have  I  heard  further  about 


FRANCE. 


123 


"From  the  hilly  road  the  little  place  made  a  charming  picture. 


p-.-«Q.-.-. 

P 

I'JSi 

»s--n 

were    anraciea    by    us    piciuresque    surroundings. 


124  FRANCE. 

the  French  license,  .nor  while  I  was  in  France  was 
I  stopped  by  any  policeman  or  asked  about  these 
matters. 

A  few  days 'later  we  all  left  Etretat  in  company 
with  my  friend  and  his  wife;  they  were  to  be  our 
companions  as  far  as  Rouen,  whence  they  would 
return  by  train. 

Until  now  our  plan  had  been  to  go  over  the  Loire 
district,  then  through  Bordeaux  to  Biarritz,  whence 
we  intended  to  make  a  short  trip  into  Spain  and  re- 
turn along  the  Pyrenees  to  enter  Italy  via'Nice.  This 
route  into  Italy  avoids  severe  mountain  passes  and 
has  easy  roads.  However,  on  our  way  to  Rouen  I 
happened  to  read  in  the  New  York  Herald  the  de- 
scription of  the  tribulations  of  an  American  party 
who  had  just  finished  a  motor  trip  through  Spain. 
On  the  report  of  their  unpleasant  experience  I  con- 
cluded that  it  would  be  unwise  to  run  the  risk  that 
my  wife  and  children  should  have  to  undergo  similar 
discomforts.  We  did  not  deliberate  long  before 
changing  our  plans;  just  as  simply  as  if  we  were  in 
a  hired  cab,  with  the  intention  of  going  to  the  sta- 
tion and  suddenly  ordering  the  driver  to  proceed  in 
another  direction,  we  now  changed  our  whole  itiner- 
ary through  France,  preferring  the  more  direct  route 
over  the  Haute  Savoie  and  the  Alpine  passes  into 
Italy.  This  gives  a  striking  illustration  of  the  flexi- 
bility and  independence  of  motor  touring. 

We  were  coming  down  a  steep  incline  when  one 
of  our  rear  tires  exploded.  This  was  the  second 
burst  tire  in  the  last  few  days.  Continued  use  and 
wear  had  finally  brought  our  old  tires  to  a  point 
where  the  extra  weight  of  two  adults,  in  addition 


FRANCE.  125 

to  the   former  load  of  4,200  pounds,  proved  too 
much. 

While  Lewis  was  changing  the  tire,  and  as  to 
emphasize  the  fact  that  horse-vehicles,  too,  have 
troubles  of  their  own,  a  large  heavily  loaded  wagon, 
drawn  by  four  horses,  broke  down  just  alongside  our 
car.  The  wagon  had  to  be  unloaded  so  as  to  permit 
the  replacement  of  a  broken  axle.     By  the  time  the 


"  .     .     .     we    noticed   the    odd    'bateau    transbordeur.'  " 

teamsters  were  preparing  to  start  their  disagreeable 
work  we  were  already  flying  ahead  along  the  road, 
and  shortly  after  we  were  cheerfully  sitting  before 
a  tasteful  lunch  at  a  little  hotel  in  Yvetot. 

When  we  were  ready  to  start  again  the  sky  had 
become  covered  with  threatening  dark  clouds.  Be- 
fore long  we  were  in  a  heavy  rainstorm  which  would 
have  put  any  open  car  at  a  very  unpleasant  disad- 
vantage.   By  the  time  the  downpour  had  stopped  we 


126 


FRANCE. 


were  entering  Rouen'.  While  passing  along  the  busy 
Seine  we  noticed  the  odd  "bateau  transbordeur,"  a 
kind  of  ferryboat  suspended  by  cables  from  a  sort 
of  high  suspension  bridge.  This  made  a  rather  un- 
usual   system    for   conveying   passengers    from   one 


"...    the  graceful  architecture  bears  abundant  witness  of  the 
early   historical   importance." 

bank  of  the  river  to  the  other,  while  allowing 
vessels  to  pass  uninterruptedly.  We  deviated  our 
course  toward  the  centre  of  the  city,  and  a  few 
minutes  later  stood  before  the  Hotel  de  la  Poste,  of 
inviting  appearance,  with  a  well-kept  little  flower 


FRANCE. 


127 


garden  at  the  entrance.  Too  bad  that,  unhke  most 
French  hotels,  it  had  no  shelter  for  automobiles ; 
this  compelled  us  to  send  the  car  to  a  far-off  garage. 
For  quite  some  time  we  had  not  been  in  cities  of  over 
ioo,cxx)  inhabitants,  and  this  made  Rouen  appear 


pv         ^       '"''^^ifl 

'y^AMm   JM 

ftWl^^^m\^^M 

^KS\  jki  -*i 

|j:r'5S^g^---SB^P^^ 

i^^^^fc^tit '^ 

•^^fifll 

^ffll 

"^4m: 

"...    who  thus  tried  to  advertise  his  uncommon  skill  on  his 
own  gable." 

quite  important  to  us.  Although  it  is  a  rather  busy 
town  we  were  impressed  with  the  general  prevailing 
cleanliness.  We  started  to  visit  the  many  old  build- 
ings, of  which  the  graceful  architecture  bears  abund- 
ant witness  of  the   early  historical   importance  of 


128  FRANCE. 

Rouen.  When,  in  the  ninth  century,  the  adventurous 
Normans  invaded  France  as  far  as  here,  they  marked 
the  foundation  of  the  city  which  later  became  the 
capital  of  the  duchy  of  Normandy.  Many  links  were 
to  connect  afterward  the  history  of  Normandy  with 
that  of  England.  There,  for  instance,  in  a  little 
square  we  stood  before  the  statue  of  valiant  Joan  of 
Arc,  a  reminder  of  the  stirring  and  bloody  wars  be- 
tween England  and  France. 

I  was  greatly  surprised  to  read,  in  a  local  guide 
book,  that  a  certain  Monsieur  de  Choussy  has  writ- 
ten a  special  essay  to  demonstrate  that  "La  Pucelle 
d'Orleans"  was  never  burnt  alive  at  Rouen  but  was 
saved  by  some  devoted  friends  and  married  after- 
ward to  a  squire  of  Lorraine. 

By  the  same  authority  I  was  likewise  informed 
that  the  lovely  house  of  Diane  de  Poitiers  had  never 
been  inhabited  by  that  lady  with  the  pretty  name,  but 
was  simply  the  dwelling  of  a  successful  wood- 
carver,  who  thus  tried  to  advertise  his  uncommon 
skill  by  the  remarkable  work  on  his  own  gable. 

Our  sightseeing  was  interrupted  when  our  friends 
announced  that  the  time  had  arrived  for  them  to  take 
their  train  back  to  Etretat.  We  felt  like  pitying  them 
on  account  of  this,  because  for  us  the  word  "train" 
had  become  synonymous  with  noise,  dust,  discom- 
fort and  prose. 

As  to  ourselves,  we  concluded  that  Rouen  was 
worth  another  day's  stay.  During  our  rambles  over 
the  city  we  happened  to  find  a  bird  store.  My  two 
children  are  great  lovers  of  animals,  and  if  I  let 
them  havp  their  own  way  their  not  too  small  collec- 
tion of  dogs,  rabbits,  cats,  guinea  pigs,  birds,  etc.. 


FRANCE.  129 

would  soon  increase  to  the  size  of  a  little  menagerie. 

Many  a  time  had  I  been  reminded  of  my  boy's  two 
trained  cats  which  at  home  used  to  trot  after  him 
everywhere,  and  even  followed  him  if  lie  happened 
to  take  the  trolley  car;  or  the  tame  canary  birds  of 
my  little  daughter  which  at  her  approach  would  fly 
out  of  their  cage  and  sit  confidently  on  her  finger 
or  follow  her  around.  Some  of  these  pets  were  de- 
cidedly missing  in  the  daily  life  of  the  traveling 
youngsters.  The  roomy  limousine  had  induced  re- 
peated suggestions  from  them  as  to  how  nicely  a 
couple  of  white  rabbits  could  be  kept  under  the  seats. 
On  other  occasions  the  children  gently  intimated  to 
me  how  humane  it  would  be  to  adopt  one  of  the 
many  stray  dogs  or  kittens  that  we  happened  to  meet 
on  the  streets ;  but  when  I  finally  heard  that  my  boy 
had  been  bargaining  for  a  live  and  healthy  ferret 
I  decided  that  it  now  was  time  to  compromise  on 
some  gentler  representative  of  the  animal  kingdom, 
so  I  finally  consented  to  the  purchase  of  two  tiny 
Bengalese  finches.  Housed  in  a  little  cage,  they  were 
from  now  on  to  become  our  traveling  companions. 

On  the  morning  of  August  18  we  left  toward 
Paris.  Macadamized  for  the  larger  part,  the  route 
nationale  was  often  interrupted  by  stretches  of  un- 
pleasant pave.  This  occurred  regularly  near  the  ap- 
proach of  villages;  under  the  circumstances  the 
warning  to  slow  down  to  ten  or  twelve  kilometers 
per  hour,  under  threat  of  arrest,  was  entirely  super- 
fluous. Fast  driving  on  these  horrible  cobble  stones 
is  almost  out  of  the  question. 

We  were  fully  acquainted  with  Paris,  and  ex- 
perienced no  desire  whatever  to  spend  any  time  in 


130  FRANCE. 

the  hot  metropoHs.  We  preferred  to  stop  at  St.  Ger- 
main-en-Laye,  a  cahii  and  pretty  suburban  town  just 
outside  Paris,  famous  as  the  former  residence  of  the 
kings  of  France  and  possessing  two  favorably 
known  hotels,  surrounded  with  attractive  gardens 
and  provided  with  garages. 

But  I  had  to  buy  new  tires,  guide  books  and  maps 
for  our  modified  itinerary,  so  I  left  my  wife  and 
daughter  at  the  hotel  and  with  my  boy  and  my 
chauffeur  I  drove  to  Paris.  If  we  had  been  disap- 
pointed by  the  increasingly  bad  condition  of  the  road 
while  nearing  St.  Germain,  we  were  horrified  to  find 
now  that  we  were  on  a  continuous  pave  of  such 
shockingly  defective  condition  that  I  could  not  but 
wonder  whether  it  was  possible  to  reach  the  capital 
without  accidents.  Deep  pits  in  the  sunken  pave- 
ment made  driving  a  real  torture.  This,  then,  was 
the  route  nationale  to  the  capital  of  the  country 
which  has  the  best  roads  in  the  world. 

Neither  were  the  surroundings  very  attractive. 
The  Seine,  on  this  hot  day,  looked  black  and  muddy 
and  emitted  a  very  unpleasant  odor.  Yet  I  noticed 
some  people  patiently  holding  their  fishing  rods,  as 
if  they  were  expecting  any  fish  to  live  in  such 
polluted  water ;  nay,  I  became  fairly  amazed  when  I 
saw  men  contentedly  swimming  in  this  repulsive 
liquid.  The  whole  road  looked  dusty  and  was  lined 
with  rows  of  shabby,  ill-kept  houses. 

On  the  side  path  I  saw  some  women  bicyclists 
riding  their  wheels  astride.  Wide  baggy  trousers,  a 
white  shirtwaist  and  a  large  unpractical  picture  hat, 
ornamented  with  the  reddest  of  artificial  roses  and 
the  greenest  of  artificial  leaves,  seemed  to  be  their 


FRANCE. 


131 


"The  former  residence  of  the  kings  of  France. 


St.   Germain-en-Laye. 


132  FRANCE. 

favorite  costume.  This,  together  with  their  purple- 
red  faces  and  their  half-loose  hair,  made  me  con- 
clude that  sportive  pursuits  do  not  necessarily  lend 
grace  to  women. 

Our  road  ran  along  the  route  of  a  little  steam 
train  which  does  service  between  Paris  and  St.  Ger- 
main and  takes  one  hour  and  a  half  for  the  distance 
of  thirteen  miles.  The  rickety,  noisy  contrivance 
kept  on  puffing  and  whistling  while  we  were  driving 
alongside.  Just  as  some  boys  were  crossing  the 
rails,  several  hundred  feet  ahead,  I  heard  the  driver 
yell  out  an  exclamation ;  then,  throwing  on  suddenly 
the  brakes  of  his  engine — the  cars  had  no  pneumatic 
brakes — he  made  all  the  coaches  bump  together, 
while  the  passengers  were  thrown  off  their  seats. 
The  conductor,  running  forward,  called  out  angrily : 
"Voyons  done,  qu'est-ce  qu'il  y  a  de  casse?"  To 
which  the  driver  answered  shaking  his  head: 
"A-a-h!  c'est  les  gosses!"  The  conductor  now  en- 
tirely lost  his  temper ;  "Nom  d'un  tonnerre !  .  .  . 
C'est    pas    la    peine    de    secouer    les    voyageurs ! 

.  .  .  En  avant !"  After  which  the  shrill  steam 
whistle  gave  another  blast  and  puff-puff-puff-rick- 
ety-rickety-rick, the  little  string  of  ramshackle  cars 
went  on  again  at  the  same  gait.  Owing  to  the 
state  of  the  road  we  could  not  drive  much  faster 
than  the  train.  I  was  certainly  very  glad  to  arrive, 
finally,  at  the  end  of  that  awful  pave  and  to  again 
find  decent  roads. 

We  were  now  at  the  Porte  Maillot,  before  the 
grated  entrance  by  the  octroi.  The  amount  of  gaso- 
line in  my  car  was  calculated  there  by  the  officials 
measuring  the  size  of  the  tank  and  the  depth  of  the 


FRANCE.  133 

liquid ;  after  which  I  found  I  had  to  pay  four  francs 
and  seven  centimes,  get  a  receipt  for  same  and  go 
through  all  this  red  tape,  while  other  people  were 
waiting  patiently  to  undergo  the  same  formalities. 
I  was  finally  able  to  drive  up  through  the  Avenue  de 
la  Grande  Armee. 

There  I  found  the  Touring  Club  de  France  estab- 
lished in  the  palatial  former  residence  of  the  no- 
torious Humbert  family.  In  the  well-provided 
library  I  was  received  by  the  most  obliging  and 
courteous  librarian,  who  promptly  furnished  me 
with  all  the  desired  information  as  to  my  new 
itinerary,  also  with  maps.  After  some  shopping  we 
returned  by  the  Porte  Maillot,  where  we  had  to 
again  go  through  the  same  octroi  formalities  and 
where  they  refunded  my  money.  Over  the  same 
terrible  pavement  we  managed  to  get  back  to  our 
hotel  in  St.  Germain. 

The  following  day  was  Sunday  and  was  utilized 
for  walks  and  sightseeing.  I  had  ascertained,  in  the 
meantime,  that  there  is  a  better  road  to  Paris  which 
does  not  follow  the  route  nationale,  but  which  passes 
Peck,  Chatou,  Rueil,  the  bridge  of  Suresnes,  then 
enters  the  Bois  de  Boulogne,  follows  the  Route  de 
Madrid  and  emerges  from  the  "Bois"  at  the  Porte 
Maillot.  This  roundabout  way  we  took  on  the  Mon- 
day morning  when  we  left.  Through  many  narrow 
and  badly  macadamized  side  streets  we  found  our 
way  until  we  entered  the  Bois  de  Boulogne. 

There  the  octroi  subjected  us  once  more  to  the 
formalities,  and  I  had  to  pay  my  few  francs  and  odd 
centimes,  after  which  we  could  follow  the  fine  and 
broad  avenue  of  the  famous  "Bois."     Hot  weather 


134  FRANCE. 

and  lack  of  rain  had  parched  everything,  and  the 
lawns  looked  dried  out  and  yellow.  Although  it  was 
now  eleven  o'clock,  we  met  almost  no  one  until  we 
reached  the  exit  near  the  Porte  Maillot.  After  tak- 
ing lunch  at  one  of  the  restaurants  nearby,  we  con- 
tinued along  the  Avenue  de  la  Grande  Armee,  at  the 
end  of  which  we  were  greeted  by  the  familiar  sight 
of  the  stately  Arc  de  Triomphe. 

Down  the  superb  Avenue  des  Champs  Elysees  we 
entered  the  Place  de  la  Concorde ;  then  again  along 
the  famous  Boulevards,  where  we  stopped  long 
enough  to  do' some  shopping.  Through  an  intricate 
maze  of  busy  streets  we  reached  the  Avenue  d'ltalie. 
At  the  Porte  Choisy  we  had  to  wait  our  turn  to  have 
our  octroi  money  refunded. 

The  pave  to  Choisy-le-Roy  was  not  too  bad,  but 
when  we  arrived  at  Villeneuve  St.  George  it 
changed  for  the  worse.  Later  on  we  had  a  mac- 
adam road  of  very  pitted  surface  and  in  bad  repair. 
Matters  improved  after  we  reached  Melun,  a  little 
town  where  the  streets  were  crowded  with  soldiers. 

From  here  on  the  roads  become  again  truly  ex- 
cellent and  worthy  of  their  world  reputation ;  we 
might  go  on  speeding  to  our  hearts'  content,  but  we 
all  began  to  feel  rather  tired  and,  after  some  hesi- 
tation, decided  to  stop  at  Montereau. 

Baedeker  and  the  Touring  Club  recommended  the 
Hotel  du  Grand  Monarque,  an  unpretending  but 
entirely  acceptable  country  inn,  where  our  car  was 
put  in  the  garage  and  where  shortly  afterward  we 
found  the  stable  boy  trying  to  blow  out  our  electric 
front  lights,  which  had  been  inadvertently  turned 
on.    One  of  the  simple  sleeping  rooms  bore  a  tablet : 


FRANCE. 


135 


after  some  hesitation  decided  to  slop  ai   Montereau. 


fr~:^irr?5s^iMK^m"^^;^'^s.::53 


■  I  llfl 


I 


^ 


'The  children  now  put  their  winged   fellow  passenger  back  in  the 
car.    .    ,    ." 


136  FRANCE. 

"Chambre  Empire."  There  it  was  that  Napoleon 
slept  on  the  night  before  the  battle  of  Montereau, 
where  he  defeated  the  Wurtembergers.  To  the 
stuffy  historical  room  we  preferred  the  larger  and 
better  ventilated  ones  next  to  it. 

The  ghost  of  the  "Little  Corporal"  must  have 
roused  us  to  early  activity,  because  the  next  morn- 
ing we  found  ourselves  ready  before  seven.  The 
bracing  morning  air,  the  fine  roads  and  the  healthy 
throb  of  our  engine  induced  me  to  go  at  maximum 
speed.  Rushing  through  the  verdant  country,  we 
had  passed  Sens  and  Rosoy  in  a  very  short  time, 
and  I  was  just  thinking  that  on  straight  and  per- 
fect roads  like  this  and  with  nobody  in  sight  it  was 
a  pity  that,  on  account  of  our  low-geared  transmis- 
sions, we  could  not  go  much  faster.  Just  at  that 
very  moment,  we  were  sfartled  by  a  loud  report 
and  the  rear  tire  burst.  The  car,  after  some  danger- 
ous zigzagging,  was  brought  to  a  standstill.  This 
was  indeed  a  well-timed  admonition  against  any 
future  speed  mania.  I  have  no  doubt  that  if  we  had 
been  going  faster  we  might  have  had  a  serious  acci- 
dent. Even  at  this  speed,  had  it  occurred  on  a 
crowded  thoroughfare,  instead  of  on  a  broad,  empty 
and  straight  road,  a  collision  would  have  been 
probable. 

The  very  hot  gravel,  together  with  the  friction  of 
the  fast  running  tires,  had  superheated  the  air  con- 
tained in  them  to  a  point  where  the  much-increased 
pressure  ruptured  the  weakened  rubber  fabric.  We 
had  stopped  at  a  very  appropriate  spot  near  a 
meadow  and  quite  close  to  an  immense  oak  tree. 
Under  its  protecting  shade  we  spread  our  napkins 


FRANCE.  137 

and  provisions  for  an  early  lunch,  while  Lewis  be- 
gan to  change  the  tire. 

As  usual  during  stops,  the  children  took  their  bird 
cage  out  and  put  it  in  the  cool  grass.  We  were 
just  finishing  our  meal  when  we  suddenly  dis- 
covered that  one  of  the  miniature  birds  had  managed 
to  escape  through  the  insufficiently  narrow  inter- 
stices of  the  cage.  We  were  soon  all  in  hot  pur- 
suit after  the  little  fugitive,  who  kept  dodging  us 
over  the  broad  meadows.  Many  a  time,  when  he 
was  almost  within  grasp,  he  flew  up  again,  to  sit 
down  a  little  farther,  until  his  pursuers  were  almost 
exhausted.  Then  finally,  when  we  were  ready  to 
give  up  all  hope,  my  boy  caught  the  bird  by  drop- 
ping his  coat  over  him  in  the  tall  grass.  The  chil- 
dren now  put  their  winged  fellow  passengers  back 
in  the  car  and  we  were  soon  traveling  again. 

By  an  old  Gothic  gateway  we  entered  Villeneuve- 
sur-Yonne,  where  we  admired  some  well-preserved 
houses  of  ancient  architecture.  We  were  looking 
for  a  place  to  replenish  our  gasoline  supply.  Ordi- 
narily the  latter  is  to  be  found  at  the  grocer's  or  the 
hardware  store,  and  a  hand-painted  sign  displays, 
very  visibly,  at  what  price  this  article  is  sold,  also 
the  special  trade  name  of  the  brand  kept  in  stock. 
Prices  range  from  30  to  45  centimes  per  litre,  ac- 
cording to  locality. 

Suddenly  Lewis  stopped  the  car  and  began  to 
prepare  eagerly  to  fill  his  fuel  tank,  indicating  to  me 
a  conspicuous  sign :  "Vins,  20  centimes  le  litre."  He 
seemed  rather  disappointed  when  I  translated  to  him 
the  inscription,  which  for  everything  else  looked 
very  much  like  the  ordinary  gasoline  sign. 


138  FRANCE. 

Joigny  was  another  cheerful-looking  little  town, 
with  some  wooden  Gothic  houses,  which  we  passed, 
driving  very  slowly.  At  Auxerre  we  stopped  long 
enough  to  buy  a  new  tire  and  some  supplies,  and 
this  gave  us  an  opportunity  to  take  a  look  at  this 
place,  which  seems  to  have  possessed  as  many  lives 
as  a  cat  and  still  keeps  on  existing  cheerfully,  after 
it  had  been  sacked  and  destroyed  successively  by  the 


"...    with  the  result  that  they  upset  the  pail,  got 
entirely    drenched." 

Huns,  the  Saracens,  the  Huguenots,  and  bombarded 
by  the  Germans  in  1870. 

A  few  miles  beyond  Auxerre  we  found  the  route 
nationale  suddenly  blocked  by  an  improvised  fence. 
We  were  directed  toward  a  very  difficult  side  road, 
scarcely  wide  enough  to  let  us  pass,  and  which 
skirted  the  village  of  Vincelles.  We  did  not  know 
what  to  make  of  all  this  until  we  emerged  again  at 
the  other  end  of  the  village.  Beyond  we  saw  the 
principal  street  decorated  with  flags  and  bunting 


FRANCE. 


139 


and  filled  with  peasants  dressed  in  their  best  clothes. 
On  inquiry  I  found  this  was  the  "Fete  of  Saint 
Roch,"  the  patron  saint  of  the  village.  The  author- 
ities had  found-  it  the  simplest  plan  to  close  up  the 
main  street,  so  that  their  games  and  sports  might 
not  be  disturbed  by  passing  vehicles.  Just  at  that 
moment  all  eyes  were  turned  toward  a  rather  sin- 
o^iilar  contest.     From  the  windows  of  two  opposing 


"...    we  reached  Avallon." 

houses  was  stretched  over  the  street  a  strong  rope,  in 
the  middle  of  which  was  suspended  a  large  pail, 
full  of  water  and  having  a  wooden  ring  on  the 
lower  end.  Peasants  driven  in  carts  and  holding  a 
long  pole  were  trying  to  enter  the  point  of  this 
stick  through  the  ring,  with  the  result  that  they 
upset  the  pail,  got  entirely  drenched  by  the  spilling 
water  and  drew  forth  the  roaring  hilarity  of  the 
assembled  villagers. 


140 


FRANCE. 


About  sixty  kilometers  farther,  among  vineyards 
and  green  fields,  we  reached  Avallon,  and  concluded 
that  this  town  would  be  a  good  place  to  stop.  We 
had  not  done  much  mileage  for  the  day,  but  our  trip 


Fifteenth   century   house  in  Avallon. 

had  been  very  interesting.  One  of  the  reasons  for 
our  choice  was  that  the  Hotel  du  Chapeau  Rouge 
was  marked  in  the  guide  book  of  the  Touring  Club 
as  possessing  the  "chambres  hygieniques,"  or  "re- 
form" sleeping  rooms,  to  which  the  active  Touring 


FRANCE.  141 

Club  is  trying  to  convert  French  hotel-keepers.  It 
was  indeed  a  great  satisfaction,  after  our  former  ex- 
perience, to  be  able  to  sleep  in  these  neat  yet  simple 
rooms.  They  had  white  enameled  walls,  properly 
varnished  woodwork,  metallic  bedsteads  and  wooden 
floors  without  stuffy  carpets. 

The  bath  and  sanitary  arrangements  were  simple 
but  sufficient.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  Touring 
Club  may  succeed  in  extending  its  educational  cam- 
paign to  all  parts  of  France.  It  occurred  to  me 
that,  like  many  other  European  country  hotels,  this 
one  might  be  considerably  improved  by  doing  some- 
thing to  prevent  the  very  objectionable  smell  of 
nearby  stables  reaching  the  guests. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  three  more  automobiles 
arrived.  The  last  machine  shot  down  into  the 
garage  with  a  roar.  It  was  a  high-powered  touring 
car,  of  well-known  European  make,  and  driven  by 
one  of  the  best  known  professional  French  chauf- 
feurs. The  owners  had  just  purchased  the  car  and 
were  American — two  elderly  people,  husband  and 
wife,  and  their  son. 

About  an  hour  afterward  I  had  occasion  to  go 
to  the  garage  to  get  a  book  that  was  left  in  our 
car.  I  heard  somebody  talking  excitedly  as  if  quar- 
reling. To  my  astonishment  I  discovered  that  it 
was  the  French  chauffeur  cursing  his  car  and  call- 
ing it  a  variety  of  hard  names,  while  he  was  read- 
justing his  carburetor  and  pressure  pump.  How- 
ever, he  did  not  go  so  far  as  that  other  French 
chauffeur,  on  a  former  occasion,  who,  in  his  uncon- 
trollable anger,  started  vigorously  kicking  the  front 
tires  of  his  machine. 


142  FRANCE. 

The  following  morning  we  went  off  leisurely  and, 
as  we  were  about  to  enter  into  a  rather  picturesque 
region,  saw  no  reason  for  hurrying. 

With  Avallon  begins  the  district  of  the  Morvand 
— moderate-sized  mountains  covered  with  pastures 
and  woods,  and  very  little  known  by  foreign  tolirists. 
The  rural  inhabitants  of  the  Morvand  are  said  to 
be  descendants  of  those  Huns  who  were  left  behind 
after  the  invasion  and  retreat  of  Attila.  Some  of 
the  Morvandiaux,  with  their  square,  beardless  faces, 
flat  noses  and  narrow  eyes,  seem  to  bear  out  the 
correctness  of  this  statement. 

At  the  grocer's  store  of  a  small  hamlet  we 
stopped,  surrounded  by  the  usual  group  of  lookers- 
on.  While  we  were  busily  engaged  with  filling  our 
gasoline  tank,  suddenly  we  were  startled  by  an  ap- 
proaching noise.  There  on  the  road  came  the  tour- 
ing car  of  the  American  party  we  had  met  at  the 
hotel  in  Avallon,  fairly  flying  through  space,  with 
the  muffler  cut-out  wide  open  to  insure  better  speed, 
thus  causing  a  continuous  thunder.  The  begoggled 
mask-and-veil  covered  occupants,  looking  like  a 
helpless  lot,  whisked  through  the  air. 

This,  indeed,  was  a  way  of  touring  different  from 
ours.  I  wondered  how  automobiles  under  such 
conditions  could  have  any  charm  at  all.  It  occurred 
to  me  how  much  better  off  these  people  would  be 
if  they  had  only  selected  a  fast  express  train,  where 
with  more  comfort  they  would  not  be  at  the  mercy 
of  a  speed-mad  chauffeur  or  the  deadly  possibilities 
of  a  bursting  tire.  We  preferred  to  go  our  peaceful, 
moderate  way  and  better  enjoy  the  country,  which 
began  to  show  a  more  and  more  southerly  appear- 


FRANCE. 


143 


ance.  At  Saulieu  we  bought  some  luscious  green- 
gages, fresh  hazel  nuts  and  melons  of  delicate  fra- 
grance. Together  with  some  dainty  biscuits  this 
made  the  substance  of  a  refreshing  lunch,  which,  as 
usual,  was  eaten  at  a  shady  place  along  the  road. 

We  were  scarcely  going  again  when  we  met  a 
corpulent  Roman  Catholic  priest,  who,  in  the  hot 
sun,  was  courageously  pedaling  his  bicycle,  much 
handicapped  by  his  long  black  clerical  robe.     We 


".      .     .     who,   in  the  hot  sun,    was  courageously     i)i(laling." 

drove  through  several  unimportant  villages  and 
finally  touched  Autun,  but  without  entering  the 
town.  The  climbing  road  now  took  us  through  a 
green  forest,  so  refreshingly  cool  that  we  could  not 
resist  the  temptation  to  stop  and  lie  down  for  ^ 
while  under  the  moss-covered  beech  trees. 

This  was  the  last  shady  spot  for  many  a  mile 
afterward.  As  soon  as  we  emerged  from  the  woods 
we  entered  a  region  of  treeless  hills,  the  grass  upon 


144  FRANCE. 

which  was  dried  up  by  the  fierce  rays  of  the  run. 
This  was  the  neighborhood  of  Le  Creusot  and  Mon- 
ceau-les-Mines,  names  which  brought  to  my  mem- 
ory newspaper  accounts  of  bloody  riots  of  strikers, 
fighting  poHce  and  army.  I  noticed  the  same  cheer- 
less look  of  villages  and  inhabitants  as  I  had  before 
seen  in  similar  mining  districts  of  England  and 
America. 

On  account  of  the  long  drought  water  was  so 
difficult  to  obtain  that  we  could  not  find  even  enough 
to  refill  our  leaky  radiator.  I  was  beginning  to  think 
of  a  fellow  automobilist  who,  while  in  Normandy 
during  a  period  of  drought,  filled  his  cooler  with  in- 
expensive cider.  In  this  locality  wine  would  have 
been  cheapest,  but  before  we  had  occasion  to  adopt 
this  expedient  we  found  a  half  dried-out,  muddy 
river  which  supplied  our  wants. 

We  had  to  cross  the  railroad  tracks  several  times. 
In  France  grade  crossings  are  often  under  the  care 
of  uniformed  women  guards,  who  announce  the 
coming  of  the  train  by  means  of  a  sort  of  tin  fog- 
horn. They  pursue  an  ultra-conservative  policy, 
and  close  the  gate  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  before  the 
train  is  due;  in  fact,  some  of  them  never  open  the 
gates  except  after  long  waiting. 

We  had  acquired  a  very  practical  expedient  of 
asking  about  the  way  without  stopping.  Our  method 
consisted  of  leaning  far  enough  out  of  the  seat  to 
fix  the  attention  of  some  nearing  passerby,  and  then, 
about  twenty  feet  before  passing  him,  yelling  out 
clearly  and  distinctly  the  name  of  the  next  large 
town.  By  repeating  the  word  two  or  three  times  he 
either  approved  by  a  nod  and  we  went  on,  or  he 


FRANCE.  145 

shook  his  head  and  then  we  asked  explanations. 
This  method  was  quite  successful  with  me,  but  did 
not  work  so  well  with  Lewis,  who,  to  the  bewilder- 
ment of  the  inhabitants  of  the  country,  persisted  in 
pronouncing  French  names  in  his  own  way.  His 
repeated  inquiries  about  "Mee'kun,  Mee'kun,"  for 
Macon  (Mah-Kong),  were  about  as  useless  as  his 
former  exclamations  Par'-ris   (Pah-ree). 

Near  Mount  St.  Vincent  we  again  came  upon  a 
pleasant  landscape.  That  winding  road  among  green 
wooded  hills  gave  us  the  illusion  of  a  well-kept  park. 
On  descending  we  came  into  a  charming  corner  of 
the  smiling  Burgundy  District.  Some  of  the  green 
hills  had  the  size  of  mountains,  and  their  sunny 
slopes  were  planted  with  broad  stretches  of  grape 
vines.  Here  and  there,  on  the  summit  of  a  hill,  and 
surrounded  by  vineyards,  was  an  old  castle,  evi- 
dently one  of  the  many  "chateaux"  that  give  their 
names  to  the  endless  varieties  of  wine  which  are  sent 
from  Burgundy  all  over  the  world. 

The  most  expensive  grades  of  Burgundy  wine  are 
obtained  a  little  more  north,  on  the  hills  of  the  Cote 
d'Or.  The  excellent  "Bourgogne  Mousseux,"  or 
sparkling  Burgundy,  which  has  all  the  main  char- 
acteristics of  champagne  and  sometimes  a  richer 
"bouquet,"  is  made  from  the  lighter  varieties  of 
white  or  red  Burgundy  wines. 

Cozily  situated  between  the  hills  in  front  of  us 
was  the  old  town  of  Cluny.  The  modest  little  place 
would  now  hardly  suggest  the  fact  that  in  the 
Middle  Ages  it  was  known  by  the  opulence  of  its 
convents  and  the  extravagant  prodigality  of  the 
Clunic  monks.  After  the  hot  day's  drive  we  felt  a 


146  FRANCE. 

sensation  of  pleasant  coolness  as  we  entered  the 
narrow  streets,  walled  in  between  tall  houses  and 
which  remind  us  of  similar  towns  in  Italy. 

We  had  yet  to  climb  the  ridge  of  the  Maconnais 
Mountains;  this  had  to  be  done  somewhat  more 
slowly,  and  by  the  time  we  again  started  the  descent 
the  sun  was  sending  out  its  last  rays.  It  had  be- 
come quite  dark  when  we  finally  arrived  before  the 
barred  octroi  gates  of  Macon.  We  made  the  usual 
statement  and  were  allowed  to  pass.  Dinner  was 
already  far  advanced  when  we  entered  the  dining- 
room  of  the  Hotel  de  I'Europe.  The  hotel-keeper 
had  given  us  very  pleasant  and  spacious  rooms  over- 
looking the  broad  Saone  River  in  front  of  us. 
Everything  would  have  been  perfect  but  for  the 
fact  that,  as  often  happens  in  France,  the  hotel  was 
totally  devoid  of  bathrooms,  and  for  substitute  we 
were  referred  to  a  nearby  bathing  establishment. 

The  following  morning,  after  a  late  breakfast,  we 
were  preparing  to  leave  when  I  made  the  acquaint- 
ance of  an  American  gentleman  who  was  motoring 
with  his  son  and  his  nephew.  They  came  from 
Switzerland,  and  he  told  me  of  the  petty  annoy- 
ances to  which  they  had  been  subjected  there;  stone 
throwing,  arbitrary  fines  and  display  of  bad-will 
toward  automobilists  appear  to  be  quite  common 
in  that  country. 

I  admired  his  well-equipped  limousine,  and  no- 
ticed that  his  French  chauffeur  had  been  giving 
signs  of  impatience  as  if  he  wanted  to  get  under 
way.  The  owner  then  confided  to  me  that  he  was 
purposely  delaying  his  man  so  as  to  make  it  impos- 
sible for  him  to  reach  Paris  the  same  dav.     He  told 


FRANCE.  147 

me  that  ever  since  the  beginning  of  his  tour  there 
had  been,  on  this  subject,  a  constant  struggle  be- 
tween himself  and  his  driver.  The  latter  always 
wanted  to  break  his  own  speed  records  and  shoot 
from  one  large  city  to  another,  while  his  employer 
preferred  to  see  the  country,  and  for  this  purpose 
take  as  much  time  as  he  thought  suitable. 

This  reminded  me  of  other  similar  instances.  I 
know  of  an  automobile  party  in  England  who  gave 
up  their  hired  auto  in  disgust  because  they  could  not 
make  their  cockney  chauffeur  stop  willingly  at  little 
villages  of  their  own  liking,  which  their  gasoline 
lord  designated  sneeringly  as  "one-heyed  places." 

Another  case,  where  an  American  family  was 
touring  in  the  mountainous  part  of  France,  termi- 
nated in  the  same  way.  They  had  hired  a  powerful 
car  and  had  a  smart  chauffeur  who  wanted  'to  live 
up  to  his  reputation  of  race-winning  exploits.  As 
he  did  not  understand  any  English,  most  of  the  con- 
versation between  the  chauffeur  and  his  employers 
had  to  be  carried  on  by  sign  language  and  guess- 
work, and  when  he  thus  received  short  instructions 
to  reach  a  certain  place  he  carried  them  out  accord- 
ing to  his  own  fancy,  rushing  along  at  top  speedy 
and  with  open  muffler,  flying  through  one  village 
after  another,  taking  chances  right  and  left,  shoot- 
ing up  the  mountain  roads  or  rushing  like  mad  along 
abysmal  ravines,  until  finally  his  terror-stricken  pas- 
sengers ceased  the  frightening  sport  by  renouncing 
their  contract. 

A  rather  perplexing  occurrence  happened  to  an 
acquaintance  of  mine  who  likes  automobiling  very 
much,  but  is  totally  ignorant  of  anything  pertaining 


148  FRANCE. 

to  machinery  or  the  general  construction  of  a  motor 
car,  and,  therefore,  Hke  too  many  others,  is  abso- 
lutely dependent  on  his  chauffeur.  On  one  of  his 
trips  he  was  delayed  a  long  time  at  a  certain  town. 
Repeated  breakdowns,  followed  by  repairs,  in- 
volving much  time,  kept  his  car  there  for  weeks 
in  succession.  Whenever  he  thought  the  car  was 
ready  something  unforeseen  caused  further  delay, 


Saint-Rambert. 

and  the  owner  began  to  have  a  very  dissatisfied 
opinion  of  his  auto.  One  day  he  discovered  that  his 
chauffeur  was  much  smitten  with  the  charms  of  the 
chambermaid  of  the  hotel  and  contrived  to  "queer" 
his  machine  to  insure  a  longer  stay. 

It  was  past  eleven  o'clock  when  we  drove  out  of 
Macon.  The  first  town  of  importance  we  met  was 
Bourg,  where  we  did  our  usual  shopping  for  the 


FRANCE. 


149 


family  lunch,  always  a  very  interesting  occupation, 
because  it  brought  us  each  time  in  closer  touch  with 
the  people  of  the  country.  While  afterward  we  were 
taking  our  meal,  seated  along  the  road  beyond  Pont 
d'Ain,  an  automobile  rushed  along  and,  raising  a 
suffocating  cloud  of  dust,  made  us  understand  why 
motor  cars  are  considered  such  a  nuisance  by  the 
man  who  is  outside  of  them. 

As  far  as  Amberieu  the  road  was  very  flat  and 


Thirsty  motorists. 

almost  straight,  but  from  there  on  the  landscape 
changed  suddenly,  and  we  entered  the  Jura  Moun- 
tains by  the  valley  of  the  Alberine.  This  little  river 
rushes  foaming  down  the  gorge  and  furnishes  motive 
power  for  the  several  little  towns  along  its  course. 
Saint-Rambert  and  Tenay  have  thus  become  of  some 
industrial  importance,  especially  in  silk  weaving. 

This  was  no  longer  a  route  nationale;  yet  the 
road,  although  narrow,  was  splendidly  engineered. 
Now  it  was  leading  us  along  an  almost  perpendicular 


150  FRANCE. 

wall  of  giant  rocks  of  limestone,  while  farther  on  the 
gorge  became  still  more  abrupt  and  made  us  cross 
a  bridge  over  the  little  river.  From  now  on  our 
road  parted  company  with  the  little  Alberine  and 
went  toward  another  valley.  We  were  ascending  a 
new  incline  when  suddenly  our  view  included  the 
glittering  snowy  peaks  of  the  far-away  Mont  Blanc. 
Its  well-defined  profile  emerged  beyond  the  sinuous 
lines  of  the  range  in  front  of  us.  Distant  mountains, 
the  great  altitude  of  which  rendered  them  as  visible 
as  if  near  by,  surrounded  us  everywhere.  We 
stopped  a  few  minutes  to  better  admire  what,  to  my 
belief,  was  the  most  imposing  landscape  our  eye  had 
met  ever  since  we  started  our  motor  tour  through 
"  Europe. 

Another  little  river,  flowing  in  a  direction  opposite 
to  the  one  we  had  just  left,  guided  us  through  Viri- 
eux-le-Grand,  while  the  winding  road  changed  al- 
most every  few  miles,  now  and  then  undulating 
over  a  landscape  that  reminded  us  very  much  of  the 
hilly  pastures  of  Switzerland,  then  again  becoming 
almost  dead  level.  Here  it  was  the  refreshing  sight 
of  a  slender  but  graceful  waterfall,  tumbling  down 
the  steep  rocks,  or  further  on  some  old  ruined  castle, 
which  added  to  the  ineffable  charm  of  the  beautiful 
landscape. 

Skirting  the  base  of  Mont  Colombier  we  followed 
a  swamp  and,  arriving  at  Culoz,  diverged  suddenly 
to  the  right  and  passed  over  a  long  bridge  which 
brought  us  over  the  wide  but  shallow  Rhone,  with 
its  many  sandy  islands. 

At  this  point  the  bed  of  the  river  has  made  a  wide 
and    flat   valley,    lined    with    green   meadows    and 


FRANCE. 


iSi 


flanked  on  both  sides  by  distant  mountains;  this 
makes  a  very  sudden  change  in  the  general  appear- 
ance of  the  country. 

We  were  entering  here  the  Departement  de  la  Sa- 


"...    found  ourselves  suddenly  in  a  wild  gorge." 

voie.  Soon  we  came  near  Ruffieux,  which  we  left 
to  the  right  to  follow  the  very  level  road  parallel  to 
the  Rhone,  which  leads  to  nearby  Geneva.  But  in- 
stead of  continuing  straight  on  toward  the  latter  city 
we  turned  to  the  right  and  found  ourselves  suddenly 


152  .    FRANCE. 

in  a  wild  gorge,  with  the  roaring  waters  of  the  im- 
petuous Fier  deep  below  us.  A  touch  of  loveliness 
was  given  to  all  this  by  the  abundance  of  bright 
green  vegetation.  The  white  sinuous  road,  skill- 
fully carved  in  the  precipitous  rock,  tunneled  in 
places,  followed  the  dashing  streamlet  in  this  rocky 
defile.     Slower  we  drove  on,  and  many  a  time  we 


"...  many  a   time   we  halted.  .  .  ." 

halted  to  enjoy  more  completely  this  splendid  cor- 
ner of  admirable  nature. 

It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  when  we  arrived  at 
Rumilly.  From  here  on  the  roads  became  quite  in- 
ferior, and  the  increasing  ascent  changed  suddenly 
into  a  few  sharp  and  short  zigzags  until  we  reached 
the  top  of  the  hill.  Just  at  that  moment  the  last  rays 
of  the  setting  sun  burst  forth  in  many  colors  and 
seemed  to  have  transformed  the  whole  landscape 


FRANCE.  153 

into  an  enchanting  region.  The  highest  peaks  were 
glowing  with  incandescent  ridges,  and  lower  down 
their  phosphorescent  red  dissolved  into  the  dark 
purple  blue  of  the  mountain  range,  while  the  mass 
of  the  Alps  came  out  in  marvelous  contrast  with  the 
radiant  golden  sky.  Under  this  sudden  flood  of 
color  the  surrounding  woods  and  meadows  had  ac- 
quired the  most  vivid  hues,  and  this  unusual  light 
effect  imparted  a  bewitching  aspect  to  everything. 

This  marked  the  glorious  ending  of  a  remarkable 
day,  and  soon  the  heavy  shades  of  night  were  creep- 
ing over  this  feast  of  light.  By  the  time  we  com- 
menced the  descent  toward  Annecy  evening  had 
•advanced  until  the  increasing  obscurity  made  the 
crooked  road  almost  indistinct  to  our  searching  eyes. 

At  a  sudden  downward  grade  the  inky  darkness 
was  broken  by  a  row  of  brilliant  lights,  which 
marked  the  entrance  street  to  Annecy.  A  few  min- 
utes later  our  motor  car,  whitened  with  dust,  drove 
into  the  garden  of  the  Hotel  d'Angleterre,  a  well- 
equipped  hostelry.  The  next  day,  in  cheerful  mood, 
after  a  restful  night  and  a  refreshing  bath,  we  under- 
took an  orientation  stroll  through  Annecy.  We  liked 
the  place  so  well  that  we  decided  to  make  this  our 
headquarters  until  the  beginning  of  September, 
when  we  intended  to  start  for  Italy. 

We  were  quite  close  to  Geneva,  and  had  planned 
to  visit  Switzerland,  and  from  that  country  to  enter 
Italy,  but  at  the  hotel  we  found  other  automobilists 
who  bitterly  complained  of  their  bad  treatment  in 
the  land  of  William  Tell.  Their  tales  of  woe  im- 
pressed us  so  much  that  we  finally  decided  not  to 
enter  that  country  at  all. 


154  FRANCE. 

Our  car  had  not  been  overhauled  before  we  left 
the  States,  but  had  been  kept  in  almost  uninterrupted 
hard  service.  Since  we  had  been  touring  Europe  it 
had  never  been  idle  long  enough  to  receive  a  good 
cleaning  or  tuning  up.  One  of  the  rear  wheels  had 
been  running  loose  ever  since  the  winter  before,  and 
the  cone  needed  an  extra  washer  to  permit  it  to  be 
tightened.  These  little  matters  had  been  postponed 
over  and  over  again,  and  here  was  an  excellent 
chance  for  Lewis  to  attend  to  all  these  details. 

We  spent  the  following  days  in  sweet  indolence, 
sometimes  strolling  through  the  broad,  shaded 
arcades  which  give  this  picturesque  town  such  an 
Italian  air;  at  other  times  we  walked  along  the 
azure  lake,  with  its  white  swans  and  its  mountain- 
ous background  of  rugged  peaks. 

This  former  little  capital  of  Savoy  has  none  of  the 
mundane  attractions  of  the  average  summer  resort. 
Its  visitors  are  mostly  people  of  quieter  taste  and 
lovers  of  nature. 

Everything  in  and  around  the  town  looked  bliss- 
fully serene  and  easygoing,  and  I  know  of  no  retreat 
more  lovely  and  restful. 

These  quiet  days  gave  me  a  chance  to  renew  my 
long-interrupted  correspondence  with  friends  at 
home.  One  of  my  friends,  who  resides  on  the  Hud- 
son, has  become  a  strong  enemy  of  automobiles, 
probably  on  account  of  his  great  love  for  horses.  He 
believes  motor  cars  to  be  most  unreliable  and  very 
objectionable  contrivances — an  invention  inspired  by 
Satan  to  the  greater  injury  of  mankind  in  general 
and  to  the  personal  worry  of  the  automobilist  him- 
self.    Many  a  time  have  I  tried  to  cure  my  friend 


FRANCE. 


155 


the    white   sinuous   road  .   .  .  tunneled   in    places. 


Annecy. 


156  FRANCE. 

of  his  erroneous  belief,  and  not  so  many  months  ago 
succeeded  as  far  as  inducing  him  to  take  a  trip  in 
my  auto  to  our  club  in  New  York.  When  inviting 
him  it  did  not  even  occur  to  me  that  we  might  have 
the  slightest  delay  or  trouble,  as  I  was  accustomed 
to  see  my  car  run  with  the  regularity  of  a  train.  But 
just  that  day,  as  luck  goes,  many  things  went  wrong. 
We  punctured  two  tires,  lost  a  petcock  and  had 
many  other  causes  of  delay  which  never  had  oc- 
curred before.  It  was  late  in  the  night  when  I  finally 
succeeded  in  bringing  home  my  friend,  who  took 
leave  of  me  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye  and  an  "I  told 
you  so  before."  Since  then  he  has  made  matters 
worse  by  never  sparing  an  opportunity  to  pictur- 
esquely narrate  to  all  my  friends  his  tribulations  in 
my  motor  car. 

Many  a  time  while  we  were  speeding  through 
various  countries,  comfortably  self-confident  in  our 
excellent  machine,  had  I  thus  been  thinking  of  my 
skeptical  friend.  We  had  run  more  than  2,500  miles 
over  all  kinds  of  roads  without  any  stoppages,  ex- 
cept some  due  to  punctured  tires.  How  was  that  for 
a  performance,  as  compared  to  that  memorable  run 
to  the  club  and  back  ? 

A  handy  illustrated  postal  card,  with  self-satisfied 
remarks  like  the  above,  was  mailed  to  my  friend 
on  the  Hudson.  Just  when  I  handed  it  to  Lewis  he 
announced  that  the  bearing  of  the  wheel  had  been 
tightened  and  that  the  machine  was  now  ready  for 
service.    The  next  day  we  were  to  use  the  car. 

On  trial  I  noticed  that  it  ran  very  stiff,  but  I  at- 
tributed this  to  the  brakes  being  too  tight.  As  our 
road  was  to  take  us  into  the  heart  of  the  mountains. 


FRANCE. 


157 


.  the  azure  lake,  with  its  white  swans  and  its  mountainous 
background." 


"Boat  excursions  made  us  acquainted  with  the  hidden  charms  of  the 
lake." 


158  FRANCE. 

with  many  lonely  stretches,  where  in  case  of  a  break- 
down repairs  would  be  difficult,  I  desired  to  previ- 
ously give  the  car  a  hard  test.  With  this  object  in 
view  I  threw  in  the  clutch  rather  suddenly,  with  the 
result  that  I  heard  a  snapping  noise,  and  on  exam- 
ination I  found  that  the  rear  axle  had  collapsed.  The 
wheel  had  sagged  down,  and  the  whole  break  made 
such  a  hopeless  appearance  that  for  a  time  I  won- 
dered whether  we  would  be  able  to  resume  our  trip 
at  all,  and  if,  like  many  a  stranded  motorist,  we 
would  have  to  resort  to  the  railroad  for  shipping 
our  crippled  car.  A  closer  examination  of  the  rear 
axle  and  bearings  showed  me  the  cause  of  our  trou- 
ble. The  defective  bearings  of  the  loose  wheel  had 
worn  down  in  a  groove.  As  long  as  the  wheel  was 
loose  this  did  not  matter  much,  and  we  might  have 
continued  for  many  thousand  miles  farther  without 
serious  inconvenience,  but  after  Lewis  had  succeeded 
in  tightening  the  bearings  the  balls  were  caught  in 
the  groove  by  the  weight  of  the  car  and  thus  locked 
the  wheel.  When  the  clutch  was  thrown  in  some- 
thing had  to  give  way,  and  the  violent  action  of  the 
motor  wrenched  off  the  axle  sleeve,  thereby  causing 
everything  to  collapse.  I  was  reassured  on  finding 
that,  beyond  this,  no  damage  was  done  to  the  gears 
or  the  moving  parts  of  the  machinery,  and  I  foresaw 
that  a  blacksmith's'  repair  would  soon  put  everything 
in  good  condition.  But  the  car  could  not  be  moved 
as  it  was.  The  detachable  boards  of  the  flooring 
were  taken  out,  and  with  the  assistance  of  some  by- 
standers we  obtained  two  blocks  of  wood,  which 
were  put  crosswise  over  the  frame.  On  to  these  we 
tied,  by  means  of  a  stout  rope,  the  two  loose  ends 


FRANCE.  159 

of  the  axle.  By  the  use  of  wooden  wedges  we  suc- 
ceeded in  tightening  these  ropes  until  the  axles  re- 
sumed their  horizontal  position.  A  horse  was  now 
obtained,  and  we  succeeded  in  pulling  the  car  over 
the  bumpy  pavement  to  the  nearest  garage.  There  the 
rear  axle  was  taken  out  and,  under  my  own  direction, 
a  skillful  local  machinist,  in  his  little  shop,  made  a 
steel  forging  which  was  securely  bolted  to  the  broken 
parts,  so  that  when  everything  was  finished  the  car 
was  as  strong  as  before. 

When  the  mishap  occurred  I  was  not  at  all  sure 
how  long  we  would  be  delayed  by  repairs,  but  wc 
were  by  no  means  in  a  hurry  to  leave  charming  An- 
necy.  In  fact,  the  children  seemed  glad  at  the  pros- 
pect of  staying  there  a  few  days  longer.  In  the 
meantime  I  had  discovered,  just  outside  the  town, 
on  the  shore  of  the  lake^  the  Hotel  Beau  Rivage,  in 
an  ideal  spot,  among  quiet  and  beautiful  surround- 
ings, where  we  went  to  stay.  Afterward,  when  1 
found  that  the  repairs  on  the  car  would  be  quickly 
finished,  we  had  become  so  accustomed  to  our  new 
retreat  that  we  had  decided  to  stay  some  time 
longer. 

Our  newly  discovered  hotel  also  had  no  bathroom, 
but  this  only  objection  did  not  matter  much  now, 
as  the  lake  was  near  by.  And  what  a  delight  it  was, 
in  the  stillness  of  the  morning,  to  take  a  swim 
through  that  placid  sheet  of  water,  as  transparent  as 
crystal  and  as  blue  as  lapis  lazuli!  It  shone  like  a 
magic  mirror,  in  which  the  mountain  scenery  of  iti^ 
inspiring  shore  was  reflected. 

The  children  seemed  to  fully  enjoy  their  new  op- 
portunities, and  every  available  hour  of  the  day  they 


i6o  .FRANCE. 

spent  along  the  lake,  except  when  they  had  school 
lessons  with  their  mother. 

Boat  excursions  made  us  acquainted  with  the  hid- 
den charms  of  the  lake  further  up.  There  was 
lovely  Menthon,  where  Saint  Bernard  was  born,  also 
the  former  residence  and  last  resting  place  of  Taine. 
Close  by  on  a  sloping  hill,  like  a  picture  of  sunny 
Italy,  lies  Talloires^  the  birthplace  of  the  celebrated 
chemist  Berthellot.    The  whole  shore  of  the  lake  is 


"Our  numerous  bundles  of  baggage  were  reloaded    on  the   car.  .  .  .* 

a  fairy  vision  of  green  and  yellow,  dotted  with  little 
white  houses ;  beyond  rise  the  Tournette,  the  Sem- 
noz  and  other  mountains,  that  seem  to  stand  like  the 
giant  guardians  of  this  sweet  abode  of  peace  and 
loveliness. 

The  days  had  fled  away  since  we  came  to  Annecy, 
and  it  became  time  to  continue  our  voyage. 

One  fine  morning  our  numerous  bundles  of  bag- 
gage were  reloaded  on  the  car  and  we  began  our  trip 


FRANCE.  i6i 

toward  Italy.  Two  routes  had  been  under  considera- 
tion— the  first,  over  Albertville,  Montiers,  Bourg  St. 
Maurice,  le  Petit  Saint-Bernard  and  Aosta ;  the  sec- 
ond, over  Aix-les-Bains,  Chambery,  Modane,  Lans- 
le-Bourg,  Mont  Cenis,  Suza  and  Turin.  After  some 
hesitation  the  latter  was  selected  as  being  more  di- 
rect, in  combination  with  our  subsequent  itinerary  in 
Italy. 

After  we  left  Annecy  we  entered  upon  an  undu- 
lating road  that  brought  us  over  Alby  and  Albens, 
into  a  wide  and  open  valley,  surrounded  by  receding 
mountains.  Below  us  lay  the  plain  in  which  was 
situated  Aix-les-Bains,  and  to  the  right  was  the  blue 
water  of  le  Lac-du-Bourget.  Further  in  the  distance 
a  succession  of  fantastically  shaped  mountains  pro- 
duced a  very  diversified  background. 

Aix-les-Bains,  with  its  many  hotels  and  well- 
approvisioned  shops,  gave  us  the  impression  of  a 
very  modernized,  fashionable  bathing  resort,  some- 
thing very  different  from  the  plainer  but  more  rest- 
ful surroundings  to  which  we  had  become  accus- 
tomed in  Annecy. 

A  shady  and  pretty  road,  skirting  the  beautiful 
lake,  brought  us  into  the  streets  of  Chambery.  This 
old  town  seems  to  have  retained  some  of  the  dignity 
which  it  possessed  when  it  was  the  capital  of  Savoy. 

While  doing  our  lunch-supply  shopping  we  had  a 
hasty  glimpse  of  some  old  buildings.  We  also  saw  a 
large  monumental  column,  supported  by  four  life- 
size  bronze  elephants.  This  was  a  monument  in 
honor  of  some  French  general  who  became  rich  in 
the  service  of  an  Indian  prince  and  made  liberal 
donations  to  the  city  of  Chambery. 


1 62 


FRANCE. 


We  left  the  town  by  following  the  tramway  lines 
and  passed  the  shady  gardens  of  hotels  and  villas  at 
a  smaller  spa  called  called  Challes-les-Eaux.  The 
road  skirted  a  rocky  mountain,  and  at  Montmelian 
entered  a  wide  and  level  plain,  through  which  ran, 


had  a  hasty  glimpse  of   .-,uii,c   oiJ   buildings." 


in  a  straight  line,  the  s^ift  and  shallow  Isere.  This 
wide  stream  looks  more  like  a  succession  of  rapids, 
and  the  milky  appearance  of  its  waters  bears  witness 
as  to  its  origin  from  the  glaciers  in  the  mountains 
further  up. 


FRANCE. 


163 


.    fantastically    siuiiu-d    niountams. 


Chambery. 


i64  FRANCE. 

Notwithstanding  the  immediate  neighborhood  of 
this  abundant  supply  of  water,  the  surrounding 
meadows  appeared  scorched  and  dried  out,  on  ac- 
count of  long  absence  of  rain. 

Although  we  were  nearing  the  principal  mountain 
region  of  Europe,  our  road  was  perfectly  straight 
and  level.  Were  it  not  for  the  high  peaks  in  the 
distance  this  plain  would  be  almost  similar  to  what 
one  would  expect  in  the  flat  northern  part  of  France 
or  Germany. 

At  Chamousset  we  crossed  the  Isere,  over  a  long, 
narrow  bridge,  and  entered  upon  a  direct  road,  lined 
on  both  sides  with  tall  poplar  trees.  Parallel  with 
this,  in  a  straight  channel  and  very  much  like  a 
Dutch  canal,  ran  the  Arc,  a  tributary  of  the  Isere. 
•In  a  well-behaved  manner  this  little  mountain  stream 
here  ends  a  preceding  career  of  turbulence.  By  and 
by  the  road  became  more  closely  crowded  into  a 
narrowing  gorge,  and  we  reached  Aiguebelle,  of 
squalid  aspect,  like  many  villages  of  the  Haute 
Savoie. 

The  recurring  appearance  of  bunches  of  sumac 
trees,  such  as  we  had  not  seen  since  we  left  the 
States,  gave  the  vegetation  a  touch  of  familiar  ac- 
quaintance. The  valley  widened  again,  and  just 
there,  on  a  little  rock  along  the  road,  we  found  a 
delightful  spot  to  spread  the  napkins  for  our  lunch. 
After  an  hour's  rest  we  started  again.  The  road  was 
almost  level,  so  that  we  could  steadily  use  the  high 
gear. 

The  mountains  which  enclosed  the  valley  became 
higher  and  higher,  and  the  foaming  little  Arc 
changed  now  into  an  impetuous  torrent,  that  found 


FRANCE.  i6s 

its  sinuous  course  between  the  rocks  and  boulders, 
which  tried  to  check  its  mad  rush  downward. 

Further  up,  and  in  picturesque  loneliness,  stood 
an  old  timeworn  chapel,  supported  on  a  rocky  prom- 
ontory, against  which  the  roaring  rapids  dashed 
into  spray.  Every  few  miles  we  encountered  some 
odd-looking  village,  while  the  intervening  stretches 
were  totally  uninhabited.  St.  Jean-de-Maurienne 
and  St.  Michel  were  thus  passed.  The  pristine  sim- 
plicity of  some  of  these  villages  has  changed 
since  the  recent  erection  of  large  power  plants. 
The  mountain  streams,  which  for  thousands  of 
years  had  run  wild  and  free,  are  now  neatly  har- 
nessed into  the  service  of  mankind.  Immense 
steel  pipes  carried  the  current  into  modern  water 
wheels,  called  turbines,  the  latter,  coupled  to  large 
dynamos,  generating  electricity.  This  source  of 
energy  for  power,  light  and  chemical  processes  has 
attracted  several  industrial  enterprises  to  this 
formerly  quiet  region. 

A  short  distance  further  along  the  road  we  beheld 
an  impressive  example  of  the  devastating  power  of 
mountain  streams.  Only  a  few  weeks  earlier  a  land- 
slide had  been  caused  by  a  heavy  rainfall.  Every- 
where we  saw  evidence  of  the  havoc  which  had  been 
wrought  by  the  uncontrolled  torrent.  Gangs  of 
workmen  were  still  busily  engaged  in  removing 
debris  and  rebuilding  the  road.  Near  Fourneaux 
matters  appeared  to  have  been  at  their  worst,  and 
for  quite  a  period  the  train  service  through  Mont 
Cenis  tunnel  had  been  entirely  interrupted. 

Modane  is  the  town  where  the  railroad  emerges 
from  the  famous  tunnel.    It  is  the  first  French  sta- 


i66 


FRANCE. 


tion  for  passengers  coming  from  Italy.  If  we  had 
felt  inclined  to  stop  here  overnight  we  certainly 
would  have  lost  all  desire  to  do  so  at  the  sight  of  tlie 
dirty,  noisy  little  place,  filled  with  loitering  soldiers, 
and  very  different  from  what  we  had  imagined  it  to 
be.     From  here  on  the  road  began  to  ascend  more 


■'We  saw  an  impressive  example  of  the  devastating  power  of  moun- 
tain streams." 


rapidly,  and  gave  us  a  wide  view  over  the  range 
of  Alpine  mountains.  Deep  below  us,  like  a  glisten- 
ing snake  in  the  green  valley,  ran  the  same  little 
river.  Here  and  there,  shelved  on  high  rocky  re- 
cesses, lay  half-hidden  fortifications,  everywhere 
surrounded  by  bleak  and  grim-looking  mountains. 
We  traversed  the  town  of  Termignon,  naked  and 


FRANCE. 


167 


a  delightful  spot  to  spread  the  napkins  u 


...    j^i^L-.:  L.c^_^    ._..-.::.L^_    ^i-.d   an   old   chapel. 


i68  FRANCE. 

squalid,  but  crowded  with  well-fed  soldiers.    It  was 
as  if  I  heard  the  ring  of  Longfellow's  words: 
"Were  half  the  power  that  fills  the  world  with  terror, 
Were  half  the  wealth  bestowed  on  camps  and 
courts, 
Given  to  redeem  the  human  mind  from  error. 
There  were  no  need  for  arsenal  and  forts." 

I  fear  that  it  will  take  many  years  yet  before  all 
nations  will  come  to  their  senses  and  learn  to  ar- 
range their  differences  by  arbitration,  as  civilized  in- 
dividuals do,  without  resorting  to  brutal  force. 

We  were  now  at  a  sudden  bend  in  the  road  before 
two  zigzag  ascents,  which  followed  one  above  an- 
other. After  reaching  the  highest  point,  a  gentle 
slope  brought  us  again  alongside  the  gushing  and 
foaming  litle  Arc,  which  we  followed  for  a  few 
miles,  until  at  last  we  entered  Lans-le-Bourg. 

The  little  town  lies  snugly  in  the  very  bottom  of 
the  valley.  Irregularly  built  white  houses,  with 
broad  overhanging  roofs  of  rough  and  heavy  stone 
slabs,  stand  huddled  together  around  the  pointed 
tower  of  a  little  church. 

Cut  off  from  all  railroad  connections,  and  relying 
solely  on  the  diligence  or  mail  coach  for  communica-. 
tion  with  the  outside  world,  Lans-le-Bourg  has  kept 
the  aspect  and  customs  of  the  towns  of  the  Haute 
Savoie  as  they  were  before  the  advent  of  the  loco- 
motive. Strange  to  say,  the  squalor  of  the  place 
does  not  appear  repulsive,  but  seems  in  harmony 
with  its  rustic  simplicity  and  unsophisticated  good 
naturedness.  It  is  quite  different  in  this  respect  from 
Modane  and  Termignon.  The  sight  of  the  snow- 
clad  mountains  above  the  sombre  pine  forests,  and. 


FRANCE. 


169 


Temiignon. 


Street  in  Tennignon. 


170  FRANCE. 

lower  down,  the  bright  green  pastures,  made  us 
greet  with  enthusiasm  this  spot,  where  we  were 
to  stop  before  entering  Italy. 

Any  misgivings  we  had  about  hotel  accommoda- 
tion were  soon  dispelled  when  we  were  received  by 
the  courteous  host  of  the  Hotel  Valloire.  He  showed 
us  simple  but  clean  rooms,  lighted  by  the  electric 
current  generated  from  the  little  Arc,  which  swept 
roaring  below  our  windows.  Six  feet  of  chamber- 
maid, clothed  in  the  demure  and  old-fashioned  look- 
ing dress  of  the  women  of  the  Haute  Savoie,  added 
much  local  color  to  our  new  surroundings. 

The  hotel  was  a  kind  of  microcosmos  for  this 
lonely  region.  All  the  town  notabilities  seemed  to 
gather  there.  The  customs  officials  and  the  army 
officers,  after  playing  their  ''partie  de  boules"  in  the 
garden  across  the  street,  joined  the  other  local 
celebrities  in  their  political  debates  or  furnished  their 
quota  of  fish  and  hunting  stories.  At  little  tables, 
outside  in  the  street,  sat  two  grumbling,  dissatisfied 
automobilists,  who  had  outdistanced  us  in  the  after- 
noon, and  who  were  now  compelled  to  wait  until  the 
next  day  before  their  customs  duties  could  be  re- 
funded, the  officials  having  been  notified  too  late  to 
provide  themselves  with  the  necessary  cash. 

An  agreeable  young  Englishman,  who  was  ap- 
parently the  star  boarder  at  the  hotel,  and  who 
seemed  very  well  acquainted  with  the  country,  told 
us  of  the  many  possible  interesting  excursions  in  the 
woods  and  over  the  mountains.  It  would  have  taken 
us  months  to  carry  out  his  many  suggestions,  but 
we  intended  to  try  a  few  of  them  and  spend  a  day 
longer    in    our    newly    discovered    mountaineering 


FRANCE. 


171 


Lans-le-Bourg, 


"The  squalor  of  the  place  does  not  appear   repul 


172  FRANCE. 

centre.  The  same  Englishman  showed  me  how  to 
obviate  the  lack  of  a  bathroom  in  the  hotel  by  walk- 
ing down  to  the  washing  shed  and  taking  a  short  dip 
in  the  roomy  wooden  tank,  through  which  was  flow- 
ing continuously  an  abundant  stream  of  clear  and 
pure  but  ice-cold  mountain  water. 

Alpenstocks  were  purchased  and  the  larger  part 
of  a  day  was  devoted  to  mountain  climbing,  a  sport 
in  which  the  children  eagerly  joined.  Lewis  came 
back  from  a  nearby  glacier  with  an  armful  of  snow- 
balls, which  he  carried  in  "his  bundled  coat  until  a 
hidden  customs  officer  stopped  him  on  the  lonely 
rnountain  trail,  taking  him  for  a  smuggler,  and  was 
very  much  amused  after  he  discovered  the  real 
nature  of  the  contents  of  that  suspicious-looking 
bundle. 


ITALY. 

THE  next  morning,  while  we  were  taking  our 
breakfast  of  cafe  au  lait  and  rolls  at  the  little 
tables  in  the  street,  Lewis  was  loading  up  our  valises 
and  making  preparations  for  our  trip  across  the 
Mont  Cenis  Pass.  The  custom  house  was  almost  op- 
posite the  hotel,  and  the  French  "receveur  de  dou- 
ane"  had  been  notified  of  our  intended  departure. 
When  we  drove  up  to  his  office  I  presented  the  two 
remaining  vouchers  of  my  French  triptyque,  and  iie 
put  his  signature  on  both,  certifying  that  my  car  had 
left  France.  One  sheet  he  kept  for  himself,  the  other 
was  returned  to  me.  The  latter  I  mailed,  by  regis- 
tered letter,  to  the  Touring  Club  de  France,  advis- 
ing them  where  to  send  me  a  check  for  the  money 
I  had  deposited  with  them.  These  simple  formal- 
ities ];ook  but  a  few  minutes,  and  about  nine  o'clock 
we  began  our  ascent.  The  English  gentleman 
whose  acquaintance  I  had  made  at  Lans-le-Bourg 
accepted  my  invitation  to  accompany  us  for  a  few 
miles. 

At  the  beginning  the  road  had  such  a  gentle  grade 
that  we  could  run  on  the  direct  drive  or  high  gear. 
Shortly  after  we  arrived  at  a  sudden  curve,  the  first 
of  six  superposed  zigzags,  each  somewhat  less  than 
a  mile  long.  The  road  was  easily  wide  enough  to 
allow  three  cars  to  pass  each  other,  the  curves  were 
ample  and  the  dangerous  portions  were  provided 
with  wooden  balustrades.    The  surface  was  perfect 

173 


174 


ITALY. 


The  road  had  such  a  gentle  grade  that  we  could  run  on  the  direct 
drive." 


^^^ 

,  .    --.^m 

% 

■ 

^^ 

■ 

4 

W    -'- 

<  y^S^  v""A!.      ^ 

ki 

■  .-^is-     ■  ■  ■  •  • 

'We  stopped  to  enjoy  the  superb  view. 


ITALY. 


175 


'On  the  right  side  of  the  road  we  noticed  a  small  blue  lake." 


'A  long,   square,  badly  kept  stone  building  called   the  Ospizio. 


176  ITALY. 

and  the  grade  probably  did  not  exceed  eight  per 
cent.  I  have  never  joined  the  numerous  worshipers 
of  Napoleon,  but  I  could  not  but  admire  this  splendid 
roadway,  which  his  skillful  engineers  had  con- 
structed here,  so  as  to  allow  him  to  send  his  heavy 
artillery  into  Italy.  The  talented  rascal,  in  the  pre- 
occupation of  his  insatiable  ambition  and  murderous 
vanity,  could  hardly  have  dreamed  that,  scarcely  one 
century  later,  this  magnificent  highway  was  to  be 
used  by  peaceful  motor  tourists  from  across  the 
ocean. 

After  ascending  for  a  few  miles  through  wooded 
stretches  we  emerged  above  the  timber  line,  and 
vegetation  became  rather  scarce.  Barren  rocks  inter- 
spersed with  shrubs  and  bunches  of  turf,  then  higher 
up  a  more  scanty  growth  of  grass,  were  the  meagre 
touches  of  green  which  offset  the  general  bleakness 
of  these  surroundings.  We  stopped  to  enjoy  the 
superb  view  over  the  lofty  mountains,  with  their  glit- 
tering coat  of  snow,  and  Lans-le-Bourg,  Termignon 
and  other  "toy"  villages,  deep  below  us  in  the  slop- 
ing valley.  A  very  narrow  white  zigzag  line,  broken 
by  curves  here  and  there,  showed  us  the  road  over 
which  we  had  traveled.  At  some  points  it  was  in- 
tersected by  the  more  irregular  contortions  of  an- 
other line ;  this  was  the  little  river  which  had  been 
our  steady  companion  as  far  as  our  last  stopping 
place. 

At  this  altitude  the  rarefied  air,  aided  by  a  blow- 
ing wind,  made  us  feel  rather  chilly.  I  had  been 
informed  that  sometimes  the  air  current  here  is  so 
strong  as  to  become  rather  dangerous  for  the  un- 
protected   traveler.      Except    during    the    warmer 


ITALY.  177 

months  of  the  year  matters  are  made  worse  by  the 
heavy  snowfall.  For  this  reason  twenty-three  small 
stone  houses  have  been  built  at  intervals  on  the  most 
exposed  parts  of  the  road.  These  shelters  are  some- 
times occupied  by  one  or  two  soldiers,  who  act  as 
outposts  near  the  boundary  line  of  Italy,  and  also  try 
to  prevent  smuggling  over  the  mountain  passes. 

After  about  ten  kilometers  of  steady  climbing  we 
found  that  we  had  reached  the  summit  of  the  pass, 
which  marks  also  the  boundary  between  France  and 
Italy.  We  were  now  on  a  sort  of  plateau,  situated 
about  6,800  feet  above  the  ocean.  On  the  right  side 
of  the  road  we  noticed  a  small  blue  lake,  and  before 
us  we  saw  some  scattered  small  stone  houses,  most 
of  them  being  shelters. 

I  was  just  about  to  take  a  photograph  when  an 
Italian  gendarme  turned  up  and  made  a  sign  to 
stop.  He  addressed  me  in  Italian,  but  as  none  of  us 
understood  that  language  I  tried  French  with  good 
success.  He  asked  me  whether  I  had  other  cameras 
with  me,  and  after  I  answered  him  that  I  had  two  in 
all  he  told  me  to  hand  them  over,  as  it  was  forbid- 
den to  take  photographs  in  this  region.  Before 
yielding  to  his  'request  I  inquired  what  he  intended 
to  do  with  the  cameras,  and  after  receiving  his  as- 
surance that  he  only  purposed  to  seal  them  while  we 
were  in  the  forbidden  zone,  I  handed  him  the  instru- 
ments. He  tied  them  up  and  secured  the  knots  with 
sealing  wax,  to  which  he  applied  a  government  seal. 
He  told  me  not  to  remove  the  seal  before  reaching 
Susa,  otherwise  we  would  be  liable  to  arrest  and 
imprisonment.  All  these  precautions,  he  said,  were 
strictly  enforced  by  the  army  authorities,  so  as  to 


178  ITALY. 

prevent  spying  into  the  surrounding  fortifications. 
The  whole  transaction  was  carried  out  in  very  poHte 
but  businessHke  form.  Still  I  felt  considerably  dis- 
appointed at  being  thus  forbidden  to  take  photo- 
graphs at  a  most  interesting  point  of  our  trip. 

If  I  had  not  been  with  my  little  family,  and,  there- 
fore, unable  to  run  the  risk  of  getting  them,  too,  into 
trouble  with  the  police,  I  certainly  should  have  tried 
to  take  some  photographs  of  the  imposing  mountain 
scenery  we  traversed  that  day. 

After  we  were  through  with  these  formalities  we 
were  very  much  astonished  to  find  a  clean-looking 
hotel,  where  we  decided  to  stop  and  take  luncheon. 
The  latter  was  excellent  and  well  served,  and  gave 
us  an  opportunity  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  ex- 
quisite ''Moscato  Spumante,"  an  Italian  sparkling 
wine,  rather  sweet  and  somewhat  like  champagne, 
but  considerably  less  expensive  and  almost  non- 
alcoholic. 

We  had  been  kept  waiting  an  unreasonably  long 
time  for  our  bill,  until  I  made  a  motion  as  if  we  were 
about  to  leave  without  paying,  when  the  proprietor 
came  to  beg  me,  with  profuse  politeness,  to  wait  a 
few  seconds  longer,  as  he  wanted  to  photograph  his 
hotel,  and  it  would  be  so  nice  to  have  an  automobile 
in  front  of  it.  I  was  astonished  to  find  that  although 
we  had  been  forbidden  to  take  snap  shots  they  al- 
lowed him  the  use  of  a  photographic  apparatus.  He 
told  me  that  the  rules  were  more  strictly  enforced 
with  foreigners,  especially  if  they  enter  from  France. 
This  gave  me  some  hope  of  buying  some  photo- 
graphs of  Mont  Cenis  Pass ;  but  although  I  could 
find  views  of  almost  any  place  in  Italy,  I  could  not 


ITALY. 


179 


'On    Mont   Ccnis.' 


At    La  Gran  Croce  the  descent  became  quite  stct  p 


i8o  ITALY. 

obtain  in  any  store  the  prints  I  desired.  It  was 
merely  by  pure  chance  that,  many  weeks  later,  I  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  possession  of  some  photos,  made 
by  someone  who  had  circumvented  the  watchful  eyes 
of  the  Italian  Government,  and  which  I  publish  here. 

We  were  ready  now  to  begin  the  descent ;  the  road 
was  gently  sloping  at  first  and  led  us  through  a  high 
walled  enclosure,  which  surrounded  a  long,  square, 
badly  kept  stone  building,  called  the  Ospizio,  and 
which  seemed  to  be  a  combination  of  church  and 
barracks.  At  La  Gran  Croce  the  descent  became 
quite  steep,  and  the  road  narrower  and  much  worse 
on  account  of  loose  stones.  The  "tourniquets,"- as 
they  call  here  the  zigzags  or  hairpin  turns,  were 
much  sharper  than  those  on  the  French  slope.  As 
we  had  a  long  descent  before  us  I  preferred  not  to 
wear  out  the  brakes,  and,  by  throwing  in  the  second 
speed  and  switching  off  the  spark,  I  was  able  to  use 
the  compression  of  the  engine  as  an  effective  brak- 
ing device.  We  thus  descended  at  a  moderate  and 
regular  pace.  A  sublime  landscape  stretched  out 
before  us ;  more  than  ever  I  regretted  that  I  could 
not  use  my  camera.  The  view  was  even  more  im- 
posing than  on  the  French  side.  The  vegetation, 
too,  was  quite  different  on  account  of  the  southern 
exposure,  which  maintained  here  a  much  milder 
temperature.  What  first  had  seemed  like  a  yawning 
chasm  now  became  a  fertile  valley,  enclosed  on  both 
sides  by  enormous  mountains,  extending  as  far  as 
the  eye  could  reach. 

From  some  of  the  high  points  to  the  left  we  heard 
the  noise  of  cannon  shots  reverberating  in  thunder- 
ing echoes  along  the  rocky  heights.    White  puffs  of 


ITALY.  i8i 

smoke  enabled  us  to  locate  one  of  the  numerous  forts 
which  lie  distributed  here  and  there.  Some  artiller- 
ists were  probably  doing  shooting  practice. 

About  six  kilometers  farther,  at  a  place  called  Bard, 
we  were  stopped  again,  this  time  by  the  custom- 
house officers.    I  left  the  car  in  charge  of  Lewis  and 


"The  zigzags  were  much  sharper   than  on  the  French   ^1-^., 

entered  the  office  to  attend  to  the  formalities.  The 
uniformed  official  was  about  to  examine  our  bag- 
gage. I  did  not  relish  the  idea  of  having  to  go 
through  a  general  examination  of  our  bundles  and 
boxes,  as  this  would  involve  tedious  unpacking  and 
reloading.    I  especially  did  not  like  the  prospect  of 


1 82  ITALY. 

paying  duty  on  some  newly  purchased  French  tires 
which  we  carried  on  the  roof  of  the  car. 

He  soon  saw  that  I  could  not  speak  Italian,  al- 
though I  had  tried  my  friendliest  "buono  giorno"  on 
him.  While  I  handed  my  triptyque  he  asked  in  quick 
succession : 

''Inglese?  Franchese?  Tedesco?" 

To  which  I  answered  ''Americano,"  and  at  the 
same  time  unfolded  my  American  passport,  with  its 
glaring  red  seal.  At  once  his  wondering  eyes  ac- 
quired a  friendly  twinkle,  and  while  I  tried  a  few 
sentences,  half  French,  half  Spanish,  he  became  very 
much  interested  in  my  car,  and  in  our  little  party, 
especially  so  after  I  had  been  able  to  make  him 
understand  that  we  had  come  all  the  way  from  New 
York,  and  intended  to  return  there  by  way  of 
Naples. 

He  and  his  assistants  seemed  to  be  suddenly  ani- 
mated with  the  best  of  feeling  toward  us  all.  They 
told  us  there  were  some  more  dangerous  tourniquets 
lower  down;  our  baggage  was  left  untouched,  my 
triptyque  was  promptly  signed,  even  my  mere  state- 
ment was  accepted  as  to  the  amount  of  gasoline  I 
carried,  and  for  which  I  had  to  pay  thirteen  lire  of 
duty.  With  a  friendly  "Addio !  Buono  viaggio!" 
from  the  little  group  of  uniformed  officials  we  went 
on  our  way,  while  I  felt  almost  sorry  that  I  had  not 
displayed  my  awe-inspiring  passport  to  the  "carabi- 
nieri"  who  had  so  sternly  sealed  my  cameras. 

The  landscape  now  presented  a  decidedly  Italian 
aspect.  Right  and  left  we  noticed  little  villages 
formed  of  small  clusters  of  stone  houses,  grouped 
around    a    church    with    an    unmistakable    Italian 


ITALY.  183 

steeple,  while  at  the  bottom  of  the  valley  ran  the 
Cenischia  River,  which  emerged  from  the  very 
mountains  through  which  we  had  been  passing. 

Near  Molaretto  and  Giagione  the  road  again  be- 
came difficult,  and  the  hairpin  turns  were  even 
sharper  than  at  La  Gran  Croce. 

A  few  miles  farther  we  were  reminded  by  the 
inscription  "Dazio  Comunal"  that  Italy,  too,  had  an 
antiquated  octroi  system,  and  that  this  was  the 
entrance  of  the  town  of  Susa.  With  a  "Niente !"  we 
waved  away  the  octroi  collector  and  passed  into  the 
streets  of  Susa,  a  dusty,  shabby-looking  place  of 
little  importance,  where  some  barefooted  street 
urchins  welcomed  us  into  Italy  by  a  volley  of  small 
stones,  which  barely  missed  us.  The  way  the  little 
rascals  attended  to  their  job  made  me  suppose  that 
they  had  been  trained  by  previous  practice.  As  soon 
as  I  stopped  the  car  they  all  took  to  their  heels; 
but  we  found  it  safer  to  drive  slowly  whenever  we 
met  any  idle  boys.  At  the  same  time  we  intently 
watched  their  hands,  and  repeatedly  saw  them 
meekly  drop  the  small  stones  intended  for  us.  After 
this  unpleasant  occurrence  we  had  no  further  moles- 
tation while  in  Italy. 

We  were  now  on  a  rather  dusty  highway,  much 
inferior  to  the  good  French  roads  we  had  left  that 
morning.  Our  route  ran  almost  straight  and  level 
as  far  as  Turin,  fifty  kilometers  distant. 

This  was  a  wide,  fertile  plain,  with  now  and  then 
a  small  town.  As  we  neared  Turin  the  road  traffic 
increased  considerably,  and  I  was  much  astonished 
at  the  nonchalance  of  the  careless  cart  drivers  and 
teamsters.      Some  of  them   were  half  dozing  and 


i84 


ITALY. 


ITALY.  185 

others  entirely  asleep,  while  nearly  all  were  lying 
down  in  their  carts,  happy  and  confident  under  open 
umbrellas  to  protect  themselves  against  the  blazing 
sun.  The  situation  was  more  complicated  by  the 
fact  that  none  of  the  drivers  seemed  to  adhere  to 
any  rules  of  the  road.  After  reaching  the  trolley  car 
lines  I  saw  a  sign,  "Tenere  la  sinistra,"  but  I  learned 
afterward  that  keeping  to  the  left  was  intended 
only  for  the  city  of  Turin,  while  in  the  open  country 
keeping  to  the  right  was  supposed  to  be  the  rule, 
although  each  city  or  town  in  Italy  had  its  own  code 
and  regulations  in  this  regard. 

Following  the  Strada  di  Rivoli  we  penetrated  the 
town  by  the  Via  Garibaldi ;  how  delightfully  cool  it 
was  after  that  hot  drive  in  the  unprotected  country ! 
I  now  understand  the  logic  of  the  narrow  but  well- 
paved  Italian  streets,  with  their  two  rows  of  tall 
houses,  which  provide,  in  that  way,  a  cool  shelter 
against  the  hot  sun. 

Here  we  were  now  at  the  fine-looking  Piazza  del 
Castello,  where  the  Grand  Hotel  d'Angleterre  is  sit- 
uated. Large  and  cool  rooms  were  assigned  to  us, 
and  we  felt  again  surrounded  by  all  the  luxurious 
comfort  of  modern  hotel  life.  We  concluded  to  stay 
here  at  least  two  days,  instead  of  one  night,  as  had 
been  our  original  intention. 

Turin,  like  Milan,  represents  the  more  modern 
spirit  of  New  Italy.  The  well-built  city,  with  her 
straight  parallel  streets  and  substantial  houses,  gives 
an  impression  of  finished  settledness,  so  much  lack- 
ing in  almost  all  American  cities.  The  principal  thor- 
oughfares are  lined  on  both  sides  with  shady  arcades, 
providing  agreeable  walking  space  protected  against 


i86  ITALY. 

sun  and  rain,  where  the  well-suppHed  stores  dis- 
play their  wares.  I  saw  none  of  that  noisy  crowd 
of  hack  drivers,  peddlers  or  beggars  that  makes 
southern  cities  in  Italy  so  disagreeable. 

Everything  looked  businesslike  and  well  kept.  The 
people  in  the  streets  appeared  serious,  polite  and 
neatly  dressed.  As  a  strong  contrast  to  France,  the 
sprightly  soldiers,  in  trim  and  tidy  uniforms,  and 
their  well-groomed  officers  made  a  very  favorable 
impression,  which  was  repeated  in  all  other  parts  of 
Italy  where  we  happened  to  meet  representatives  of 
the  army  or  navy. 

Two  days  were  soon  spent  in  sightseeing  and 
visiting  places  of  interest.  On  the  6th  of  Septembei' 
we  were  on  our  way  to  Genoa.  We  had  enough 
gasoline  left  to  make  half  the  distance.  As  in 
France,  this  liquid  is  always  less  expensive  outside 
the  cities,  where  no  dazio  or  octroi  has  to  be  paid. 
"Benzina,"  as  they  call  it  here,  is  ordinarily  retailed 
by  pharmacists  and  druggists.  After  three  con- 
secutive attempts  to  obtain  it  at  such  stores,  I  found 
that  their  whole  stock  would  have  filled  our  tank 
only  about  one-tenth  full.  We  finally  succeeded  in 
discovering  a  bicycle  store  where  a  sufficient  supply 
was  kept  ou  hand,  and  this  acquainted  us  with  the 
primitive  way  this  material  is  handled  in  Italy.  The 
"benzina"  was  poured  from  a  large  glass  carbov, 
similar  to  those  in  which  acids  are  shipped.  The 
whole  operation  is  clumsy  and  difficult.  Straw  and 
fragments  of  the  plaster-sealed  stopper  are  liable 
to  get  into  the  tank  if  no  straining  devices  are 
used. 

"Benzina"  is  no  longer  sold  by  the  litre,  btit  by 


ITALY.  187 

the  kilo,  which  is  the  itietric  unit  for  weight.  One 
kilo  of  benzina  is  equal  to  about  1.400  litre,  and  in 
order  to  determine  the  quantity  sold  the  carboy  is 
weighed  before  and  after  the  sale. 

In  different  places  in  Italy  I  was  charged  from  90 
centisimi  to  i.io  lire  per  kilo,  which  would  bring 
the  price  from  47  to  60  cents  per  American  gallon ! 

The  roads  outside  Turin  were  bumpy  and  dusty ; 
not  bad  enough,  however,  to  prevent  us  from  mak- 
ing fair  speed.  Later  on  the  surface  became  more 
dusty,  until  we  concluded  that  during  all  our  trip 
in  Europe  we  had  encountered  nothing  of  the  kind. 
Until  now  the  front  glass  served  tolerably  well  as  a 
protector,  and  we  found  some  consolation  in  the 
thought  that  we  were  not  bothered  by  the  pool  of 
mud  which  this  road  would  make  after  heavy  rains. 

Passing  Trofarello,  Poirino,  through  a  level 
plain  of  uninteresting  aspect,  we  entered  the  old 
gate  towers  of  Asti,  a  mediaeval-looking  town,  the 
name  of  which  sounded  familiar  to  us,  because  it  is 
there  that  the  famous  Asti  Spumante,  a  very  light, 
sparkling  wine,  is  made.  The  extensive  vineyards 
of  the  adjoining  country  furnish  abundant  material 
for  this  local  industry.  We  had  hoped  that  the  dust 
nuisance  would  decrease  here,  but  after  passing 
Allessandria  we  found  that  the  worst  was  yet  to 
come: 

From  now  on  traveling  became  almost  a  torture. 
The  wheels  of  our  car  sank  deep  into  the  light, 
floury  powder  and  threw  up  behind  us  a  smok}' 
streak,  like  the  tail  of  a  comet.  Although  by  this 
time  we  had  closed  all  windows  and  apertures  in 
the  car,  a  fine,  impalpable  nuisance  entered  every- 


i88  ITALY. 

where,  just  as  if  it  were  sifioke,  and  on  the  front 
seat  it  had  gathered  in  a  layer  a  quarter  of  an  inch 
deep.  It  accumulated  on  our  clothing,  our  hands 
and  everywhere.  I  looked  at  Lewis,  who  was  driv- 
ing then,  and  his  face  was  so  covered  as  to  make  him 
unrecognizable. 

Some  passing  peasant  women,  seeing  us  arrive, 
hastily  threw  towels  over  their  heads.  They  shook 
their  fists  at  us,  and  their  angry  but  eloquent 
gestures  indicated  the  thick  cloud  trailing  behind  us. 
I  was  fully  aware  that  to  those  good  people  we  must 
have  appeared  as  an  unjustifiable  nuisance,  yet  little 
did  they  know  that  we  were  half  suffocating  our- 
selves and  that  our  violent  coughing  and  dust-sore 
lungs  made  up  our  share  of  the  trouble. 

Anxiously  looking  for  relief,  we  had  tried  to  drive 
at  top  speed,  but  this  made  conditions  worse. 
Finally,  by  driving  very  cautiously,  matters  im- 
proved somewhat,  and  we  found  that  slow  speed 
was  our  only  hope  of  succor,  although  on  a  hot 
road,  without  a  single  shady  tree,  this  was  in  itself 
very  uncomfortable. 

Under  all  these  trying  conditions  our  engine  be- 
haved well.  Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  every 
piece  of  machinery  was  heavily  covered  with  dust, 
the  steady  purr  of  the  motor  did  not  weaken  for  a 
second.  I  think  that  if  our  car  had  been  driven  by 
chains  instead  of  a  bevel  gear  the  former  would 
have  clogged  up  with  dust.  As  it  was,  we  found 
that  even  our  levers  did  not  work  freely,  and  we 
had  to  stop  twice  to  scratch  the  dust  away  from 
between  their  fulcrum  bearings,  which  had  become 
stiff.     We  had  been  looking  eagerly  for  a  cooling 


ITALY,  189 

glass  of  water,  but  everything  and  every  place 
showed  the  same  parchedness.  At  last  we  arrived 
at  a  village  where  there  was  a  drinking  fountain,  and 
where  we  stopped  to  wash  our  dust-coated  faces. 
My  wife  and  children,  inside  the  carriage,  had  been 
protected  against  the  worst  of  the  dust,  but  every- 
where on  the  outside  the  car  looked  as  if  it  just  had 


'•.     .     .     where  we  stopped  to  wash  our  dust-coated  faces." 

been  dug  out  of  the  ground.  Our  baggage  was 
covered  with  a  layer  of  fine,  whitish  powder  more 
than  an  inch  thick. 

For  the  very  first  time  since  we  began  our  Euro- 
pean tour  we  thought  automobiling  a  very  disagree- 
able sport;  but  the  fact  that  we  all  felt  tired  and 
hungry  may  have  influenced  our  depressed  mood. 
Fortunately  matters  had  improved  considerably,  for 


190  ITALY 

we 


finally  located  a  shady  corner  far  enough  re- 
moved from  the  road  to  escape  the  dust  raised  by 
passing  mule  teams,  which  did,  on  a  smaller  scale, 
what  we  had  been  so  much  guilty  of  doing  in  the 
past  weary  miles. 

Our  meal  this  time  appeared  quite  different  from 
the  so  many  pleasant  picnic  lunches  we  had  en- 
joyed before.     Yet   fresh   almonds,   ripe   figs   and 


"We  entered  upon  an  ascending  grade." 

biscuits  were  eagerly  devoured,  and  as  soon  as  our 
raving  hunger  was  satisfied  good  humor  returned 
to  us  all. 

When  I  first  saw  our  dust-covered  automobile 
standing  lonely  on  the  hot  road,  and  the  towering 
load  of  baggage,  which  gave  it  such  a  businesslike 
appearance,  I  asked  myself  how  many  more  miles  of 
such  wretched  roads  we  were  to  encounter  in  Italy. 


ITALY.  191 

Fortunately  this  was  and  remained  the  worst  ex- 
perience of  our  trip;  although  sometimes  the  other 
roads  became  dusty,  never  did  they  attain  the  hope- 
less condition  of  which  we  had  been  the  victims  that 
day.  We  were  not  in  a  hurry  to  break  up  our 
little  camp,  and  preferred  to  lie  down  on  the  grass 
and  rest;  however,  on  account  of  the  advancing 
afternoon  it  was  time  to  go  ahead  if  we  desired  to 
be  in  Genoa  before  dark. 

After  passing  Serravak  there  was  no  further  dust, 
and  at  Arquata  the  road  became  excellent.  We 
encountered  here  a  mountainous  landscape,  and  the 
green  wood-covered  slopes  were  a  very  refreshing 
sight  after  the  dusty  monotony  of  the  former  part 
of  the  road. 

Just  after  passing  Isola  we  entered  upon  an 
ascending  grade.  Some  time  before  I  had  noticed 
an  irregular  noise  in  the  transmission,  but  I  sup- 
posed this  was  merely  due  to  the  dust-choked  bear- 
ings that  required  oiling. 

We  were  not  very  far  from  Genoa,  and  as  I 
desired  to  avoid  any  further  delays,  which  might 
prevent  us  from  arriving  there  before  dark,  I  con- 
cluded to  postpone  examination  of  the  machinery. 

At  first  the  car  took  the  grade  very  nicely  on  the 
direct  drive,  but  afterward  I  was  compelled  to  throw 
in  the  second  speed.  While  shifting  the  lever  I 
heard  a  sharp  and  unwelcome  noise  as  if  something 
had  snapped.  I  stopped  the  car  quickly,  and  after 
examination  we  found  that  the  driving  pinion  of  the 
bevel  gear  transmission  was  broken. 

Fortunately,  we  had  an  extra  gear  in  the  tool  box, 
and,  if  need  be,  could  replace  the  broken  part  on  the 


192  ITALY. 

road.  But  this  might  take  some  time,  and  the  day 
was  pretty  well  advanced.  I  ascertained  that  the 
next  railroad  station  was  but  a  little  over  half  a 
mile  from  where  we  stood.  Under  the  circum- 
stances I  advised  my  wife  and  children  to  walk 
ahead  and  be  prepared  to  take  the  train  to  Genoa 
or  any  other  nearby  place  in  case  we  met  further 
delay.  They  had  left  but  a  few  minutes  when  I 
saw  a  landaulet  starting  up  the  mountain  road.  It 
was  the  first  automobile  we  had  met  since  leaving 
Turin.  It  occurred  to  me  that  this  was  a  good 
chance  to  be  quickly  hauled  to  the  nearest  black- 
smith shop,  where  it  would  have  been  easier  to  make 
our  little  repair.  The  occupants  of  this  motor  car 
were,  besides  the  chauffeur,  a  gentleman  and  his 
little  daughter.  I  made  a  sign  to  stop,  and,  after 
exchanging  cards,  explained  my  predicament.  The 
owner,  a  prominent  Genoese  lawyer,  offered  very 
courteously  to  tow  us  to  the  next  town,  called 
Ronco.  I  accepted  his  kind  offer  very  eagerly,  and 
soon  we  were  at  Ronco,  where  I  found  a  note  from 
my  wife,  telling  me  there  was  a  hotel  at  the  next 
station,  Bussala,  where  she  would  await  me.  She 
added  that,  upon  inquiry,  she  had  found  that  there 
were  a  garage  and  mecanicien  at  Ronco,  and  that 
she  had  sent  the  latter  to  us.  At  this  very  moment 
a  new  and  well-kept  motor  car  drove  up,  and  after 
making  sure  about  my  name  the  chauffeur  tied  a 
rope  to  my  car  and  proceeded  to  tow  us  through  the 
streets  of  Ronco.  He  stopped  before  a  prosperous- 
looking  house,  and  put  us  inside  a  small  but  well- 
kept  garage,  in  which  there  was  no  other  car  but 
an  American  Oldsmobile  runabout. 


ITALY.  193 

Everything  looked  so  tidy  and  so  different  from 
the  usual  disorderly  repair  shop  that  I  felt  rather 
astonished.  After  awhile  the  young  proprietor  of 
the  garage  came  to  see  me,  accompanied  by  three 
of  his  friends.  They  all  appeared  to  be  cultured 
people  of  refined  manners.  One  of  them  spoke 
French  and  the  other  English.  I  began  to  wonder 
whether  this  young  man,  similar  to  some  wealthy 
American  motorists  of  my  acquaintance,  had  started 
a  repair  shop  as  a  business  venture.  I  was  still  more 
startled  when  these  nice  young  men  invited  me  to 
take  supper  with  them,  and  announced  that  after- 
wards they  would  drive  me  in  their  own  car  to 
Bussala,  where  my  wife  was  expecting  me. 

As  I  preferred  to  take  a  bite  in  a  hurry  while 
supervising  the  replacement  of  the  broken  gear,  I 
declined  their  invitation,  and  sat  down  in  a  little 
restaurant  near  by.  But  it  was  getting  dark  now, 
and  even  if  we  hurried  it  would  take  at  least  one 
hour  to  finish  the  job.  It  would  not  be  advisable 
for  us  to  travel  at  night  over  the  unknown  mountain 
road  to  Genoa.  So  I  thankfully  accepted  the  offer  to 
drive  to  Bussala,  and  left  Lewis  behind  at  Ronco, 
with  instructions  to  have  the  car  ready  for  the  next 
morning.  My  newly  made  acquaintances  accom- 
panied me  on  the  nocturnal  drive.  The  night  was 
pitch  dark,  but  I  knew  we  were  going  at  a  rapid 
pace  over  a  winding  mountain  road  of  which  I  could 
distinguish  nothing  except  when  the  glaring  search- 
lights happened  to  flash  upon  some  object  before  us. 
It  did  not  take  long  to  reach  the  hotel,  and,  after 
a  further  exchange  of  courtesies  my  very  polite 
companions   left  me,   and   I   concluded  that  these 


194  ITALY. 

gentlemen  garage  keepers  were  very  nice  fellows, 
indeed. 

The  little  hotel  where  we  were  to  stay  over  night 
was  much  crowded  with  summer  visitors  from 
Genoa,  and  it  was  with  some  difficulty  that  I  ob- 
tained accommodations  for  our  little  family.  With 
the  station  near  by,  and  the  horrid  locomotives  and 
their  shrill  whistles  just  below  our  open  windows, 
sleep  was  almost  impossible.  It  was  quite  a  change, 
indeed,  from  our  excellent  hotel  in  Turin,  but  we 
were  prepared  to  lead  the  "simple  life"  whenever 
circumstances  should  demand  it,  so  we  took  our  new 
experience  with  cheerful  stoicism. 

The  next  morning  I  returned  to  Ronco  to  see 
how  matters  stood  with  my  car.  I  found  the  meca- 
nicien  covered  with  oil  and  grease,  while  his  helper 
was  scrupulously  dusting  the  carriage.  A  pile  of 
dust  lay  heaped  up  on  the  floor  of  the  garage.  My 
own  chauffeur  seemed  to  take  matters  rather  easily 
by  superintending  the  operations.  Only  by  this  time 
it  dawned  upon  me  that  what  I  had  taken  for  a  pub- 
lic repair  shop  was  simply  a  private  garage,  and  that 
unwittingly  I  had  caused  a  large  amount  of  trouble 
to  a  hospitable  and  courteous  host.  A  direct  ques- 
tion to  the  mecanicien  confirmed  my  belief.  I  has- 
tened to  pay  a  call  to  the  house  of  my  kind  host  to 
thank  him,  and  after  a  pleasant  hour  thus  spent 
took  my  car  to  Bussala,  where  my  little  family  came 
aboard.  From  there  we  continued  our  interrupted 
trip  to  Genoa.  An  excellent  road,  winding  grad- 
ually upward  through  wooded  mountains,  brought 
us  to  the  highest  point  near  Giovi.  From  there  on 
it  began  to  descend  rather  suddenly  in  short  tourni- 


ITALY. 


195 


'It  was  quite  a  change  indeed   from   our  excellent  hotel   in   Turin. 


"An  excellent  road  winding  gradually  upward." 


196  ITALY. 

quets.  With  the  power  shut  off  and  the  engine 
under  compression  we  coasted  slowly  down  the  hills. 
From  Pontedecimo  on  we  were  no  longer  sur- 
rounded by  pretty  landscapes,  but  had  to  drive 
through  badly  paved  and  closely  inhabited  sec- 
tions. For  about  ten  miles  there  was  an  almost  un- 
interrupted succession  of  unpleasant  suburbs  and 
trolley  car  hnes.  I  began  to  think  this  was  never 
to  end,  when  at  San  Pier  d'Arena  we  beheld  the 


"The  docks  of  the  busiest  seaport  of  Italy." 

encouraging  sight  of  the  blue  Mediterranean.  There, 
also,  was  the  famous  lighthouse  of  Genoa,  which 
we  were  approaching  over  muddy  streets  and  in 
line  with  a  never-ending  and  slow-moving  proces- 
sion of  every  kind  of  wagons  and  other  vehicles. 
We  finally  entered  the  city  gate,  where  we  became 
entangled  among  a  lot  of  clumsy  drivers  until  we 
had  passed  the  usual  formalities  of  the  Uifizio  del 
Dazio. 


ITALY.  197 

Proceeding  farther,  we  were  now  along  the  docks 
of  the  busiest  seaport  of  Italy.  Before  us  lay  the 
graceful  city,  showing  its  fine  buildings  in  terrace- 
like distribution.  Beyond  were  the  rugged  peaks  of 
the  Ligurian  Alps,  while  the  broad  sheet  of  blue 
water  was  lined  by  the  sinuous  shore  line  of  the 
ever-beautiful  Riviera  di  Levante.  We  were  indeed 
in  a  new  climate,  for  there,  near  to  us,  was  a  square 


"From  there  we  drove  to  the  nearby  hotel." 

with  large  healthy-looking  palm  trees,  as  well  as 
many  other  plants  which  can  only  thrive  under  mild 
southern  skies.  I  knew  that  a  lot  of  mail  was  await- 
ing us  .in  Genoa,  at  the  office  of  the  Hamburg- 
American  Line,  where  we  went  to  obtain  same. 
From  there  we  drove  to  the  nearby  Grand  Hotel, 
where  the  porter,  in  all  his  gold-laced  glory,  in  a 
uniform  like  an  admiral,  directed  his  brass-buttoned 
underlings  while  they  made  an  assault  on  our  lug- 


198  ITALY. 

gage-bedecked  car.  All  the  bundles,  cases,  valises 
and  trunks  followed  as  trophies  in  the  procession, 
which  was  wound  up  by  a  valet  bearing  the  bird 
cage  of  the  children  and  the  bunch  of  alpenstocks. 

When  we  went  to  find  our  bedrooms  we  were  led 
into  something  like  a  throne  chamber,  with  a  dome- 
like affair  for  a  ceiling.  The  clean  mosaic  floor  gave 
a  refreshing  impression  of  coolness  after  a  hot  day ; 
abundance  of  electric  lights  and  exquisite  bathrooms 
and  other  luxuries  made  us  forget  all  about  our 
hotel  experience  of  the  day  before. 

This  indeed  is  one  of  the  great  charjns  of  motor 
touring.  Every  day  brings  new  conditions,  new 
experiences.  Some  little  unpleasantness  is  cheer- 
fully accepted  with  the  thought  that  better  is  soon 
to  follow,  and  whatever  is  agreeable  is  doubly  so  if 
it  happens  after  encountering  some  disappoint- 
ments; no  two  days  seem  alike,  and  this  rapid  suc- 
cession of  varied  impressions  contributes,  more  than 
anything  el^e,  to  the  sensation  that  this  kind  of 
traveling  is  indeed  real  travel. 

We  had  been  in  Genoa  six  years  before,  and  were, 
therefore,  pretty  well  acquainted  with  the  city.  For 
this  reason  our  time  was  spent  in  leisurely  walking 
about  the  town.  The  next  morning  we  got  ready 
without  undue  haste  and  drove  off  about  ten  o'clock, 
while  the  whole  rank  and  file  of  the  Grand  Hotel 
was  drawn  up  at  attention,  and  all  the  shining 
brass  buttons  bowed  us  a  ceremonious  goocfby. 

In  the  Via  Venti  Settembre  I  could  not  resist  the 
temptation  to  stop  the  car  to  take  a  hasty  snap  shot 
at  one  of  the  extraordinary  Genoese  policemen.  My 
specimen  was  a  fine-looking  six-footer,  who,  with  his 


ITALY. 


199 


silk  hat,  long  black  robe  and  straight  ebony  cane, 
presented  very  much  the  appearance  of  an  athletic 
reverend. 

Following  this  well-paved  street,  we  drove  out  by 
the  Porta  Pila  and  entered  upon  a  winding,  mac- 
adam road,  which  might  have  been  very  dusty  but 
for  the  fact  that  it  had  just  been  sprinkled.     Our 


one  of  the  extraordinary  Genoese  policemen." 


route  was  narrow  and  went  up  and  down,  following 
the  shore  line  of  the  Mediterranean.  Very  narrow 
streets,  through  populous  villages,  made  cautious 
driving  an  imperious  necessity.  But  we  little  de- 
sired to  go  fast.  Our  intended  day's  trip  was  to  be 
but  fifty-four  kilometers,  and  were  we  not  entering 
upon  this  enchanting  part  of  Italy,  the  Riviera  di 
Levante?     Therefore,  no  haste  to-day,  so  that  we 


200  ITALY. 

might  longer  enjoy  the  beautiful  landscape  awaiting 
us. 

Near  Quinto  we  stopped  long  enough  to  read  a 
simple  memorial  proclaiming  the  fact  that  Gari- 
baldi started  from  there  with  his  little  band  of 
enthusiastic  followers  on  his  expedition  for  the 
unification  of  Italy. 

At  Nervi,  with  its  gay  villas  and  stately  palm 
trees,  the  country  began  to  show  still  more  the  fes- 


".      .      .      following  the   shore-line.      .      ." 

tive  climate.  Date  palms  of  aristocratic  bearing, 
next  to  fig  trees  and  century  plants,  seemed  to  bask 
in  the  generous  sunshine,  while  the  red  tiles  of  the 
flat-roofed  houses  brought  out  into  stronger  con- 
trast the  color  of  the  sky.  Whitewashed  pergolas, 
covered  with  giant  grape  vines,  alternated  with  the 
delicate  red  of  blossoming  oleanders,  and  a  fitting 
background    was   provided   by   the   blue    Mediter- 


ITALY.  201 

ranean,  whose  little  waves  advanced,  tiptoeing 
towards  the  rocky  shores. 

•  Decidedly  this  was  not  the  place  to  rush  along; 
so,  gently  we  kept  moving,  often  coasting  silently 
whenever  we  were  on  the  down  grade.  Thus  we 
arrived  at  pretty  Recco.  The  main  street  was  deco- 
rated with  garlands  and  little  lamps,  a  preparation 
for  the  evening  illumination  in  honor  of  the  feast 


".     .  the  country  began  to  show  still  more  the  festive  element.     .     ." 

of  the  Holy  Madonna.  All  the  church  bells  were 
ringing,  and  the  little  place  looked  trim  and 
festive.  We  halted  a  while  to  purchase  some  of  the 
most  attractive-looking  figs  I  ever  saw  ;  then  driving 
carefully  through  the  narrow  but  well-paved  passage 
found  ourselves  leaving  the  town  by  a  steep  upward 
road.  I  very  well  remembered  this  same  hill,  on 
which  six  years  before  I  had  been  pushing  my 
bicycle.  With  the  burning  sun  shining  above  our 
heads,  I  felt  grateful  that  this  time  Mr.  John  D.'s 
gasoline  was  doing  the  work. 


202 


ITALY. 


This  reminded  me  also  that  upon  this  former 
occasion  we  had  been  outrageously  overcharged  at 
an  innocent-looking  inn  at  Ruta,  where,  in  company- 
with  my  wife,  we  had  taken  dinner.  The  spot  on 
the  top  of  the  hill  is  an  ideal  situation  for  a  hotel, 
and  I  was  not  astonished  to  learn  now  that  a  very 
extensive  residence  hostelry  was  in  course  of  con- 
struction, called  the  Porto  Fino  Kulm.  I  was  not 
surprised  either  when  the  puffins^  of  our  approach- 


"The  main  street  was  decorated  with  garlands." 

ing  car  brought  out  the  same  English-speaking 
landlady  of  former  acquaintance,  who  from  her  un- 
sophisticated-looking inn  tried  to  ensnare  us  by  the 
same  obsequious  salutations  and  inviting  smiles,  but 
''experientia  docet,"  and  to  her  evident  disappoint- 
ment we  did  not  stop  even  for  the  view,  which  I 
knew  we  could  better  enjoy  a  little  farther  away. 

The  altitude  here  was  less  than  a  thousand  feet, 
yet  the  grandiose  panorama  embraces  the  shores  of 


ITALY. 


203 


204  ITALY. 

the  Mediterranean  as  far  as  the  horizon  reaches. 
Big-peaked  mountains  in  the  distance,  sloping  down 
into  green  hills,  and  dotted  everywhere  with  little 
white  villages  overlooking  the  blue  sea. 

The  road  was  ever  following  the  sinuous  slope, 
high  enough  to  allow  an  unimpaired  view,  yet  so 
near  as  to  see  the  blue  and  transparent  water 
splash  into  white  foam  on  the  rocks  below. 

We  kept  on  descending  steadily  toward  charni- 


".     .     .     this  lovely,  restful  place." 

ing  Rapallo,  on  a  flat  stretch  of  land  close  to  the 
sea.  Its  good-looking  modern  hotels  reminded  us 
that  it  was  lunch  time,  although  we  had  been  feast- 
ing all  the  morning  on  grapes  and  figs,  picked  from 
the  bountiful  trees  along  the  road.  A  glass  of  Mos- 
cato  and  a  cup  of  cofifee  were  about  all  that  we 
cared  for.  This  gave  us  a  good  pretext  for  sitting 
down  among  the  guests  of  one  of  the  hotels  at  one 
of  the  numerous  tables  along  the  sidewalks  of  the 
shadv  street. 


ITALY. 


205 


Had  we  not  known  that  there  was  even  a  better 
place  farther  up  we  would  certainly  have  decided 
to  stop  for  a  few  days  at  this  lovely,  restful  place. 


the   shadv   street. 


■'ICvery    few    luindred    yards    we    found    one    or    another    reason    for 
stopping." 

Many  of  the  pretty  localities  we  had  met  that  morn- 
ing had  suggested  the  same  idea.  The  children 
expressed  their  wish  more  bluntly  by  saying  that 


2o6  ITALY. 

it  was  a  pity  that  the  motor  did  not  break  down 
somewhere,  and  thus  compel  us  to  stay  longer.  Yet 
we  rested  here  with  the  pleasant  expectation  that 
more  such  agreeable  corners  were  yet  to  come,  and 
after  an  hour  or  so  we  continued  our  enchanting 
journey. 

We  started  with  a  stiff  climb  -along  the  slopes 
of  a  mountainous  shore,  now  along  precipices,  then 


".     .     .     .  now  along  precipices,  then  following  a  ravine." 

following  a  ravine,  and  all  the  time  amidst  a  con- 
tinuous succession  of  olive  trees,  blooming  olean- 
ders, fruit-laden  grape  vines  and  fig  trees.  Every 
few  hundred  yards  we  found  one  or  another  reason 
for  stopping.  It  was  either  to  take  a  photograph, 
or  again  to  pick  some  ripe  figs  or  grapes,  which 
abounded  everywhere,  or  to  try  the  cool  water 
which  came  gushing  from  some  fountain  in  the 
rock. 


ITALY. 


207 


Now  going  down,  then  up  again,  then  entering 
a  tunnel  bored  through  the  projecting  rocks,  the 
landscape  changed  in  kaleidoscopic  variety.  Just 
now  we  seemed  to  be  away  inland,  enclosed  in  reced- 
ing mountains,  with  a  solitary  valley  below,  but 
immediately  afterwards  the  view  changed,  and  after 


".     .     .     then  entering  a  tunnel  bored  through  the  projecting  rock." 

a  sharp  descent  we  were  again  in  sight  of  the  sheet 
of  water. 

A  steep  down  grade  carried  us  to  Zoagli,  but  as 
soon  as  we  had  left  the  charming  little  town  we 
were  climbing  another  hill,  until  finally  a  long  glide 
downward  brought  us  to  a  low,  flat  stretch  of  coast 
land  on  which  is  situated  Chiavari.  I  saw  a  large 
road  sign,  *'Spezia,"  with  an  arrow  pointed  toward 
a  side  street,  and  before  I  realized  it  found  that  this 
was  a  clever  little  dodge  by  which  the  inhabitants 
prevented  these  dreadful  automobiles  from  passing 


2o8  ITALY. 

through  the  town  on  their  way  south.  So  we  saw 
nothing  of  the  place,  except  a  rapid  ghmpse  of  a 
pretty  avenue  of  large-sized "  oleander  trees  in  full 
bloom.  We  then  came  upon  a  flat  stretch  of  dusty 
road  quite  close  to  the  water.  We  passed  Lavagna 
with  its  pile  of  roofing  slate,  and  a  few  kilometers 
further,  Sestri  di  Levante,  the  object  of  our  day's 
trip,  came  in  sight. 

This  picturesquely  situated  fishing  village  is  not 
much  known  by  the  average  tourist.  I  had  discov- 
ered it  some  years  ago,  and  on  the  strength  of  my 
former  experience  had  selected  it  for  a  few  days' 
sojourn.  The  friendly  manager  of  the  excellent 
Hotel  Jensch  gave  us  the  best  rooms  facing  the  bay. 
The  pretty  palm  garden  which  surrounds  the  hotel 
and  the  lovely  view  from  our  comfortable  balcony 
added  to  the  enjoyment  of  our  quiet  surroundings. 

I  had  especially  chosen  this  place  because  I  knew 
the  hotel  had  an  excellent  private  beach,  sandy  and 
gently  sloping.  There,  in  unusually  clean  water 
of  pleasant  temperature,  most  of  our  days  were 
spent. 

The  water  of  the  Mediterranean  holds  in  solution 
about  forty-one  per  cent,  of  salt,  a  considerably 
higher  proportion  than  is  contained  in  the  ocean. 
Hence  swimming  is  much  easier,  because  the  con- 
centrated brine  keeps  the  body  floating  without 
any  special  effort.  Years  ago  I  had  offered  a  stand- 
ing reward  of  $2  for  each  of  my  children  who 
should  be  able  to  swim  at  least  ten  yards  without 
stopping.  Thus  far  the  prize  had  never  been  earned, 
but  the  little  rascals  soon  discovered  that  the  in- 
creased density  of  the  water  made  things  easy  for 


ITALY. 


209 


a  low,   flat  stretch  of  road  on   which  is  situated  Chiavari. 


we  were  again  in  sight  of  the  azure  sheet  of  water. 


210  ITALY. 

them,  and  from  the  first  day  they  were  able  to 
claim  the  premium.  We  became  so  accustomed  to 
this  agreeable  spot  that  any  of  us  would  gladly  have 
stayed  there  for  weeks  more,  but  our  trip  could 
not  last  forever,  and  after  five  enjoyable  days  we 
decided  to  continue  our  tour. 

On  the  day  of  leaving  I  was  rather  startled  to 
see  that  in  the  garage  of  the  hotel  our  trusty  motor 
car  had  as  an  only  companion  a  large  black  hearse, 
v^ery  elaborately  trimmed  with  four  immense 
bunches  of  black  feathers.  Quite  a  suggestive  con- 
trast indeed !  This  was  rendered  more  impressive 
by  the  fact  that  the  sky  had  become  obscured  with 
inky  clouds,  across  which  flashed  at  intervals  sinuous 
streaks  of  lightning,  while  the  thunder  rolled  omi- 
nously. It  had  been  raining  and  storming  all  night, 
and  although  our  limousine  would  protect  us  against 
the  wet  it  was  rather  disappointing  to  think  that 
bad  weather  might  spoil  for  us  the  enjoyment  of  the 
day's  itinerary,  which  was  to  take  us  into  the  heart 
of  picturesque  mountain  scenery. 

If  our  car  had  been  an  open  one  it  would  cer- 
tainly have  been  reckless  to  venture  out  in  such 
threatening  weather,  but,  nicely  sheltered  as  we 
were,  we  decided  to  risk  it.  Our  road  ran  first 
through  level  country,  parallel  with  the  railroad; 
then  it  began  to  climb,  and  we  noticed  that  the 
surface  was  so  excellent  that,  although  it  had  been 
raining  all  night,  there  was, no  sign  of  slipperiness. 

We  were  winding  our  way  upward  over  rocky 
hills  scantily  covered  with  pines,  oaks  and  other 
small  trees.  The  sky  again  presented  a  threatening 
appearance,  and  lightning  cleaved  the  black  clouds 


ITALY. 


few  kilometers  further,  Sestri  di  Levante." 


on   the    strength  of   my    former   experience   had   selected   it 
for  a  few  days'  sojourn." 


212  ITALY. 

from  mountain  to  mountain.  Heavy  rain  drops 
were  falling,  and  we  were  resigned  to  bad  weather. 
But  luck  favored  us ;  after  a  while  the  rain  stopped 
and  the  sombre  cloud  curtain  seemed  to  tear  apart. 
Through  the  widening  aperture  of  the  darkened 
sky  a  beam  of  hazy  sunlight  managed  to  shoot  out 
and  illuminate  the  whole  landscape  with  a  strange 
flood  of  light.  The  contrast  between  the  blue-black 
clouds  in  the  sky  and  the  sea  below,  with  the  vivid 


".     .     .     we  went  downward  again  between  fig  trees  and  grape  vines." 

green  of  the.  wooded  hills,  gave  to  the  whole  a 
startling  aspect,  enhanced  by  the  utter  loneliness 
of  the  locality.  Prrr — prrr — prrr — went  our  steady 
motor,  while  we  kept  on  climbing  higher  and  higher 
over  Mount  Bracco. 

The  view  of  the  sea  was  shut  off  now,  but  we 
beheld,  instead,  the  whole  range  of  the  Appenines, 
and  shortly  after  we  caught  sight  of  the  Apuan 
Alps,    the   great   storekeepers   of   the   finest   white 


ITALY.  213 

marble  of  the  world.  On  a  level  portion  of  the  road 
we  came  upon  some  dilapidated-looking  houses,  of 
which  one  or  two  called  themselves  *'Osteria." 
Further  on  we  went  down  again  between  rows  of 
fig  trees  and  grape  vines.  We  passed  Mattarana 
and  Carrodano,  two  small  villages  with  gray  little 
houses  huddled  together,  as  if  to  find  closer  com- 
pany in  this  out-of-the-way  region. 

Barefooted  children  ran  after  us,  offering  grapes, 
for  which  we  gave  them  a  few  soldi.  Again  the 
road  went  down  sharply;  we  crossed  a  little  river, 
and  then  started  a  short  climb  through  woods,  and 
after  passing  a  chapel  another  descent  commenced. 
Pogliasca,  then  Borghetto,  came  next,  after  which 
the  road  took  a  turn  to  the  right  and  skirted  the 
sandy  bed  of  the  half-filled  and  shallow  Magra 
River,  with  here  and  there  a  pool  of  water  with  a 
color  like  indigo.  Following  the  contortions  of  this 
bluish  stream  for  about  ten  kilometers  on  an  almost 
level  stretch  we  struck  again  a  gradual  ascent. 
Afterward  this  changed  to  a  succession  of  strong 
undulations. 

We  passed  Ricco,  another  assemblage  of  ram- 
shackle houses,  took  another  short  climb,  and  here, 
at  a  point  called  La  Foce,  were  suddenly  stirred  into 
admiration  by  the  beautiful  sight  of  the  Gulf  of 
Spezia.  Below  us  white  parallel  lines  made  by  the 
streets  of  the  town  stretched  out  before  the  spacious 
bay.  Several  grim-looking  men-of-war,  with  their 
sharp  and  well-defined  outlines,  stood  out  in  strong 
contrast  with  the  blue  water.  Antique  Porto  Venere 
and  the  island  of  Palmaria  in  the  distance  on  the 
right,  and  the  rocky  promontory  of  the  Apuan  Alps 


214  ITALY. 

on  the  left,  formed  a  trusty  and  picturesque  shelter 
for  this  fine  harbor. 

But  our  full  attention  was  now  required  for  the 
steep  descent  which,  zigzag-wise,  took  us  along 
some  forts  or  barracks  into  the  town.  A  short 
halt  for  refreshments  at  some  pastry  store  was  all 
the  time  we  intended  to  spend  in  Spezia.  We  knew 
the  place  from  a  former  visit,  and  greeted  its  trim 
palm-planted  streets  as  old  acquaintances.  When 
we  reached  the  city  limits  the  good  pavement  gave 
place  to  wet  and  soft  muddy  roads,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  our  car  was  entirely  covered  with  splash- 
ings.  For  this  reason  we  were  rather  pleased  to 
find  that  we  were  entering  upon  a  change  of  the 
road,  where  it  began  to  ascend  rather  abruptly  along 
a  hilly  slope.  I  was  compelled  to  throw  in  the 
lower  gear,  and  to  my  terror  heard  the  same 
ominous  snap  of  the  machinery  which  had  stalled  us 
at  Ronco. 

I  dropped  the  sprag  to  keep  the  car  from  rolling 
backward  on  the  sharp  incline,  and  after  examina- 
tion we  were  forced  to  the  conclusion  that  our  new 
pinion  was  gone  again.  Fortunately,  I  stillhad  a 
spare  one  in  reserve,  and  there  was  a  trolley  car 
just  below  the  hill,  which  enabled  my  wife  and 
children  to  return  to  town,  while  Lewis  and  myself 
tried  to  mend  matters. 

Putting  in  a  new  pinion  can  be  done  much  easier 
in  a  garage  than  on  the  road,  and  as  we  were  at 
such  a  short  distance  from  a  repair  shop  I  thought 
it  preferable  to  try  to  get  our  car  back  to  Spezia. 
The  main  trouble  was  to  bring  the  auto  down  the 
hill.     It  was  standing  on  a  steep  incline,  with  an 


ITALY. 


215 


"Several  grim-looking  men  of  war 


(I  greeted  its  trim  palm-planted  streets  as  old  acquaintances.' 


•216  ITALY. 

abrupt  embankment  on  one  side  and  a  deep  gutter 
on  the  other ;  to  make  matters  worse  the  road  was 
so  narrow  that  we  could  not  turn.  While  we  were 
adjusting  the  brakes,  which  were  rather  too  loose 
to  keep  the  car  from  sliding  backward,  we  were 
discovered  by  a  group  of  street  boys.  As  soon  as 
they  saw  our  stalled  car  they  rushed  toward  us 
with  a  whoop  of  delight  and  called  the  attention  of 
some  other  little  fellows  near  by.  Before  we  knew 
it  we  were  surrounded  by  about  fifty  unwashed, 
raggy,  barefooted  and  shrieking  street  urchins, 
ranging  in  age  from  six  to  twelve  years.  Every 
one  of  them  seemed  to  take  immense  pleasure  and 
excitement  at  the  sight  of  our  predicament.  They 
all  talked  at  the  same  time  their  voluble  Italian  in 
shrill  staccato  voices,  and  the  din  and  noise  of  their 
rattle  made  our  own  conversation  impossible.  All 
wanted  to  touch  the  car,  the  tires  or  the  wheels.  I 
thought  they  were  a  real  nuisance  until  I  got  the 
inspiration  to  put  their  waste  energy  to  good  use 
by  putting  them  all  against  the  car  to  prevent  back- 
sliding in  case  the  brakes  proved  inadequate.  I 
mounted  to  the  driver's  seat,  and  steering  the  wheel 
craned  my  neck  backward,  so  as  to  see  the  road 
below,  while  Lewis  directed  the  crowd  of  dimin- 
utive helpers  by  impressive  yelling  and  by  lifting 
his  arms  up  and  down,  according  to  whether  they 
should  let  go  or  hold  on.  After  a  while  this  newly 
invented  language  seemed  to  work  very  effectively. 
The  scene  reminded  me  very  much  of  the  story  of 
Gulliver  while  these  Lilliputian  Italians  were  trying 
to  hold  back  this  heavily  loaded  motor  car. 

We  succeeded  in  getting  the  carriage  down  to 


ITALY.  217 

the  level  road,  where  it  could  be  turned  without 
danger;  at  that  moment  a  powerful  shout  of  satis- 
faction came  from  all  of  these  little  Italian  throats. 
But  I  soon  realized  that  the  worst  was  yet  to  come, 
when  I  began  to  distribute  pennies  among  these 
youngsters.  The  whole  lot  suddenly  turned  into  a 
fighting,  shrieking,  hair-pulling  mass,  and  I  was 
really  afraid  that  some  of  the  impetuous  combatants 
might  become  seriously  hurt,  so  I  put  the  money 
back  in  my  pocket  and  tried  to  let  them  come  one 
by  one,  isolating  the  paid  ones  from  the  others.  But 
the  tricky  little  fellows  were  too  quick  for  us.  Some 
got  in  several  times  in  succession  and  nimbly  appro- 
priated what  was  intended  for  others  who  were 
left  behind  and  who  got  angry.  Among  the  lot 
was  a  little  girl  whose  mother  seemed  to  take  a 
very  interested  hand  in  the  matter.  I  made  up  my 
mind  that  this  virago  knew  better  than  I  how  to 
handle  this  little  mob,  so  I  gave  fifty  centisimi  to  her 
daughter  and  handed  a  handful  of  coppers  to  her 
with  the  direction  to  distribute  the  coins  among 
the  unsatisfied  lot.  From  that  moment  on  she  be- 
came the  butt  of  the  onslaught,  but  acquitted  her- 
self of  her  task  by  administering  some  well-directed 
slaps  to  the  most  aggressive  ones,  giving  a  few 
coins  to  the  meeker  boys,  and  putting  the  remainder 
of  the  money  in  her  own  pocket,  while  she  reached 
for  a  stick  with  which  she  drove  the  howling  mob 
away. 

In  the  meantime  I  had  found  a  laborer  who  spoke 
some  French,  and  with  whom  I  arranged  to  obtain 
two  mules.  •  The  mules  were  hitched  to  the  front 
axle,  and  I  had  the  fun  of  photographing  Lewis 


2i8  ITALY. 

at  the  wheel  while  our  procession  entered  into 
Spezia.  I  know  that  some  of  my  friends  in  America 
would  have  had  no  end  of  merriment  if  they  had 
seen  us,  but,  strange  to  say,  none  of  the  Italians 
who  met  us  either  grinned  or  smiled  at  our  seeming 
discomfiture. 

At  the  garage  we  found  that  the  cause  of  our 
break  was  exactly  as  I  had  surmised.  The  same 
pinion  had  split  again.     Before  leaving  New  York 


the  mules  were  hitched  to  the  front  axle. 


I  had  changed  the  regular .  pinion,  as  originally 
used  with  the  car,  for  a  smaller  one.  This  was 
intended  to  make  doubly  sure  that  our  heavily 
loaded  limousine  would  climb  any  mountains  we 
might  encounter  on  our  long  tour.  It  was  proved 
now  that  this  smaller  pinion  was  too  weak  for  the 
strain  of  the  engine,  and  so  my  very  precautions 
had  inured  to  our  disadvantage. 

Luckily  I  ha^d  kept  the  former  size  gear,  and  this 


ITALY. 


219 


could  be  put  on  again  without  hesitation,  since  our 
experience  over  any  kind  of  road  with  an  over- 
loaded car  had  removed  all  doubts  as  to  the  possi- 
bility of  taking  easily  any  grade  we  might  meet 
on  our  tour.  We  left  the  car  at  the  garage  and  the 
larger  pinion  was  promptly  inserted,  the  whole 
job  costing  only  a  few  dollars. 

The  day  was  then  far  gone,  and  I  knew  that  the 


.     after  lunch   we  left     . 


Croce  di  Malta  was  a  very  comfortable  hotel,  well 
situated  near  the  bay,  and  we  could  not  do  much 
better  than  to  stop  there  until  the  next  day  and  take 
life  easy  in  the  meantime.  The  following  day,  after 
lunch,  we  left  the  Croce  di  Malta,  and  a  few  minutes 
afterward  passed  near  the  spot  of  our  former  mis- 
hap. The  man  of  the  mules  was  there  and  gave  us 
a  friendly  nod  of  recognition.  The  same  street 
boys  were  there,  and  I  guess  that  their  smiles  were 


220 


ITALY. 


probably  fostered  by  the  hope  of  seeing  us  stopped 
again ;  but  the  big  pinion  drove  the  car  smoother 
than  ever,  and  we  shot  up  the  hill  without  difficulty. 
Then  the  road  took  a  very  sudden  turn  to  the 
right  and  changed  into  zigzags.  Just  at  this  diffi- 
cult point  we  were  confronted  with  a  balkV  mule 
team  arriving  from  the  opposite  way  and  on  the 
wrong  side  of  the  road,  but  I  was  able  to  clear  the 
rather  complicated  situation,  and  from  now  on  our 


".     .     .     heavy  carts  carrying  huge  cubes  of  the  valuable  stone." 

route    began    to    descend    toward    a    broad    plain 
enclosed  by  the  Apuan  Mountains. 

As  soon  as  we  struck  the  level  stretch  we  were 
able  to  run  at  favorable  speed.  The  atmosphere 
was  bright  and  sunny,  and  right  before  us  in  the 
distance  we  could  see  very  distinctly  the  mountains 
which  furnish  the  world-famed  Carrara  marble. 
Some  of  the  rock  sides  had  been  blasted  away,  and 
in  their  immaculate  whiteness  they  looked  as  if 
covered  with  snow. 


ITALY:  221 

That  this  was  the  white  marble  country  was  made 
evident  by  the  profuse  display  of  this  material 
nearly  everywhere.  Road  posts,  windows,  even  door 
sills  of  the  commonest  houses,  were  made  of  white 
marble,  and  the  same  stone  was  used  for  capping 
the  walls  of  any  enclosures  or  fences.  We  also  met 
many  heavy  carts  carrying  huge  cubes  of  the 
valuable  stone.    Some  of  these  vehicles  were  drawn 


".      .      .     grows  abundantly  in   all   marshy  places  to  a  very  tall   size." 

by    teams    of   fine    white   oxen    numbering   twelve 
animals. 

The  whole  section  looked  like  a  prosperous  agri- 
cultural country.  That  we  were  in  a  wine  district 
was  shown  by  the  abundance  and  fine  quality  of  the 
grape  vines,  as  well  as  by  the  numerous  ox  carts 
loaded  with  large  casks  of  wine  or  carrying  a  heap- 
ing bunch  of  "fiascos.'  These  bottles,  of  character- 
istic shape,  in  which  Italian  wine  is  kept,  are  packed 


222  ITALY. 

into  a  simple  yet  effective  protection  of  basket- 
woven  reed  leaves.  The  plant  which  furnishes 
these  leaves  grows  abundantly  in  all  marshy  places 
and  to  a  very  tall  size. 

All  this  carting  and  driving  makes  the  roads  very 
rutty,  especially  near  Massa  and  Pisa.  The  team- 
sters do  not  seem  to  be  accustomed  to  automobiles 
and  become  easily  excited,  even  if  their  horses, 
mules  or  oxen  do  not.  When  they  thus  lose  their 
heads  they  are  apt  to  do  the  most  foolish  things. 
Some  of  them  simply  whip  their  poor  horses,  but 
others  try  to  push  the  animal  aside  by  twisting  the 
cart  from  behind,  instead  of  using  the  reins.  More 
than  once  we  were  amused  by  the  sight  of  some 
short  man,  red  with  excitement,  spluttering  and 
cursing,  while  pushing  his  back  against  the  sides 
of  a  slow  and  burly  horse  that  did  not  know  what 
it  all  meant.  Similar  experiences  we  had  all  over 
Italy,  especially  in  the  south.  After  a  while  we 
knew  how  to  humor  these  simple  but  excitable  coun- 
try people  by  driving  very  slowly  until  the  imaginary 
danger  was  past. 

At  Massa  we  entered  into  a  statuary  factory. 
Here  was  one  of  those  numerous  workshops  for 
which  Italy  has  been  famous  ever  since  the  art  was 
introduced  by  the  Greeks  long  before  the  Christian 
era.  In  this  "laboratorio"  the  white  blocks  of  Car- 
rara marble  are  turned  into  statuary  of  any  descrip- 
tion, from  the  antique  gods  of  mythology  to  the 
most  approved  modern  saints. 

The  large  room  had  a  very  busy  appearance,  with 
its  numerous  workmen  or  artists  chiseling,  cutting 
and  polishing  right  and  left. 


ITALY.  223 

After  this  short  visit  we  were  soon  on  our  way 
again,  but  a  few  miles  farther  we  stopped  once 
more  to  enter  the  courtyard  of  a  farm  and  ask 
permission  to  pick  some  of  the  alluring  fruit  with 
which  the  numerous  grape  vines  were  so  abundantly 
laden.  Before  this  we  had  disregarded  these  for- 
malities, thinking  the  matter  a  mere  trifle,  but  we 
were  told  that  there  is  a  very  severe  law  in  Italy 
which  allows  farmers  to  shoot  anyone  who  attempts 
to  appropriate  fruit  along  the  road. 

As  in  every  other  instance,  we  were  cheerfully 
helped  to  what  we  desired,  and  a  few  coppers 
distributed  among  the  children  of  the  farm  made 
everybody  beam  with  grateful  satisfaction. 

We  had  expected  a  very  monotonous  route,  and 
found  on  the  contrary  a  much  varied  landscape, 
with  mountains  almost  always  in  sight. 

Past  Viareggio  we  entered  upon  a  stretch  of  ex- 
cellent road,  which  led  us  in  a  straight  line  through 
an  extensive  pine  forest.  Healthy-looking  trees  of 
considerable  size,  with  fanlike  tops,  m^de  an  unusual 
and  unexpected  picture.  Just  here  we  noticed  in 
the  distance  an  approaching  cloud  of  dust  and 
shortly  afterward  passed  the  first  motor  car  we  had 
met  since  we  left  Sestri. 

We  had  driven  but  a  few  miles  farther  when  in 
the  glitter  of  the  setting  sun  we  noticed  the  unmis- 
takable white  forms  of  the  Campanile  and  the  lean- 
ing Tower  of  Pisa.  Not  very  long  afterward  we 
entered  the  town,  passing  along  the  Battistero,  and 
a  short  distance  farther  on  we  all  got  out  of  the 
car  to  take  a  look  at  that  odd  piece  of  architecture, 
the  leaning  tower. 


224  ITALY. 

My  wife  and  I  had  visited  Pisa  before,  and  this 
town,  too,  appeared  to  us  like  an  acquaintance  of 
former  days.  Before  we  knew  it  some  peddlers  had 
persuaded  us  to  stock  ourselves  with  a  liberal  supply 
of  miniature  leaning  towers  of  marble.  The  little 
trinkets  were  stowed  away  in  the  motor  car  in  com- 
pany with  all  the  formerly  acquired  curios.  We  saw 
many  inviting  shops  displaying  marble  statuary. 
For  some  reason  or  other  I  have  the  feeling  that 
marble  statuary  and  marble  cutting  harmonize  well 
with  the  very  placidity  of  this  town.  After  the  vary- 
ing impressions  of  this  day's  trip  Pisa  looked  so 
settled,  so  quiet  and  restful  as  to  repeatedly  suggest 
to  my  imagination  a  city  neatly  chiseled  out  of  one 
gigantic  block  of  marble. 

We  drove  to  the  Hotel  de  Londres  on  the  Lun- 
garno,  where  we  were  the  only  guests,  tourists  being 
rather  scarce  at  that  season.  From  our  rooms  we 
looked  down  on  the  broad  river,  neatly  encased  in 
its  gray  stone  walls,  separated  by  a  wide  paved  street 
from  the  varied  succession  of  fagades  of  the  two 
rows  of  houses,  and  at  intervals  an  arched  stone 
bridge  connected  the  two  shores. 

The  next  morning  found  us  ready  for  our  trip  to 
Rome.  I  knew  we  had  a  long  stretch  before  us,  and 
that  the  country  through  which  we  Were  to  travel 
is  scantily  inhabited  and  offers  few  places  to  obtain 
proper  hotel  accommodation.  Furthermore,  this 
district  is  notoriously  malarious,  and  although  there 
is  a  considerable  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the  com- 
parative danger  of  Italian  malaria  and  the  Ameri- 
can illness  of  the  same  name,  I  thought  it  wiser 
not  to  expose  my  wife  and  children  to  unsuitable 


ITALY. 


225 


we  entered  the  town,  passing  along  the  Battistero." 


an  arched  stone  bridge  connected  the  two  shores.' 


226  ITALY. 

shelter  for  the  night.  I  had  been  unable  to  obtain 
precise  information  as  to  hotels  in  Grosseto  or  Cor- 
neto ;  under  the  circumstances  we  had  to  reach  either 
Civita  Vecchia  or  Rome  the  same  day.  Unfortu- 
nately the  weather  threatened  showers,  but  we  sup- 
posed that  as  on  previous  occasions  we  might  suc- 
ceed in  outrunning  the  rainy  zone. 

About  ten  in  the  morning  we  left  the  city  limits, 
and  after  buying  provisions  and  gasoline  were  soon 
hurrying  along  the  wide,  level  road.  By  this  time 
the  weather  had  become  decidedly  chilly,  and  we 
noticed  that  during  the  night  the  mountain  peaks 
had  acquired  a  white  coat  of  snow.  Although  we 
were  entering  southern  Italy  I  found  that  my  sum- 
mer clothing  was  an  entirely  insufficient  protection 
against  the  cold.  It  started  to  rain,  and  a  cold  wind 
drove  the  wet  against  the  driving  seat  and  com- 
pelled us  to  lower  the  storm  curtains. 

Our  little  party  was  snugly  sheltered  inside  the 
limousine  and  did  not  mind  the  weather.  This  made 
me  think  again  how,  in  an  open  car,  a  rain  storm  of 
the  kind  would  have  spoiled  the  whole  day's  trip. 
The  country  through  which  we  were  traveling  was 
hilly  and  sandy.  The  sloping  hills  were  sparsely 
covered  with  grass.  This,  with  the  rain  and  chill, 
brought  to  my  mind  our  similar  experience  in  the 
Scotch  moors,  and  I  could  hardly  realize  that  we 
were  in  southern  Italy  and  that  at  the  beginning 
of  September. 

The  slippery  road  had  made  us  skid  a  few  times, 
and  this  urged  us  to  cautious  driving,  especially 
in  places  where  we  were  running  along  a  steep 
embankment.     About  noontime  the  weather  began 


ITALY.  227 

to  clear  up,  the  sun  began  to  shine,  and  it  became 
so  warm  that  we  were  forced  to  open  all  the  win- 
dows of  the  carriage. 

We  had  passed  Cecina  and  were  traveling  in  the 
Maremme  country — a  weird  succession  of  forest 
and  swamp,  sparsely  cultivated  here  and  there  and 
infested  by  malaria  during  the  summertime.  This 
district  extends  for  about  100  miles  along  the  coast, 
and  is  very  scantily  inhabited.  Although  history 
tells  us  so,  it  is  difficult  to  imagine  that  during  the 
Etruscan  period  this  now  lonely  region  was  fertile 
and  inhabited  to  the  point  of  possessing  important 
towns  like  Populonia,  Vetulonia,  Russellae  and 
Cosa.  Some  of  thfe  remains  of  these  ancient  settle- 
ments still  exist.  In  fact,  the  very  road  on  which 
our  Michelins  were  rolling  was  the  famous  ancient 
Via  Aurelia.  I  was  prepared  to  find  a  country 
entirely  devoid  of  scenic  interest,  and,  therefore,  was 
quite  astonished  to  now  behold  an  almost  continuous 
succession  of  picturesque  landscapes.  We  were 
never  far  away  from  the  sea,  and  once  in  a  while 
caught  a  glimpse  of  the  blue  water,  while  on  both 
sides  of  the  horizon  before  us  we  saw  the  curved 
crests  of  distant  mountains.  On  our  right  we  now 
observed  a  mountainous  island,  which  the  map  indi- 
cated to  be  Elba,  the  involuntary  abode  of  Napoleon 
for  about  one  year.  Occasionally  we  passed  a  lonely 
white  or  grayish-looking  farmhouse  with  no  sign 
of  life  in  or  near  it.  Almost  every  one  of  these 
buildings  showed  prominently  on  the  gables  the 
glaringly  emblazoned  armorial  ensign  of  some  mem- 
ber of  the  nobility  who  was  the  land  owner.  This 
was  ordinarily  supplemented  by  a  large  black-let- 


228  ITALY. 

tered  inscription  telling  to  whom  the  property  be- 
longed. These  features  seemed  to  be  the  only  well- 
cared  for  details  of  the  whole  place.  It  is  a  sad 
comment  on  the  inequity  of  insufficient  taxation  of 
land  values  that  just  this  malaria  country  might, 
with  a  proper  system  of  drainage  and  cultivation, 
be  changed  into  one  of  the  most  productive  agricul- 
tural sections  of  God's  earth.  But  this  district  is 
almost  entirely  in  the  hands  of  a  few  aristocratic 
landholders,  who  have  been  able  to  keep  it  idle  since 
times  immemorial,  and  may  hold  it  almost  in- 
definitely unless  the  tax  on  unimproved  lands  be 
increased.  The  proprietors  are  either  too  ignorant 
or  too  unenterprising  for  devising  means  that  would 
make  their  lands  more  profitable.  Neither  are  they 
willing  to  sell  or  rent  it  at  reasonable  rates.  In  the 
meantime  the  malaria  scourge  is  perpetuating  itself, 
while  Italian  peasants,  for  lack  of  better  opportu- 
nity, try  to  wring  from  nature  some  of  her  products 
of  the  soil  by  toilsome  cultivation  of  small  patches 
of  land  on  the  almost  barren  rocks  of  the  Riviera 
or  the  Gulf  of  Salerno.  Is  it  any  wonder,  then,  that 
under  such  conditions  the  younger  generation  of 
Italian  peasants  find  it  more  profitable  to  emigrate 
and  ofifer  their  labor  in  foreign  countries?  Under 
better  economic  conditions  this  same  labor  might 
find  good  emplo}'ment  at  home  and  contribute 
toward  general  prosperity. 

At  about  I  p.  M.  we  reached  Grosseto,  the  first 
town  of  any  importance  since  we  had  left  Pisa. 
This  is  the  capital  of  Maremme,  and  boasts  of  6,000 
inhabitants.  The  place  did  not  make  a  bad  impres- 
sion, and  it  appears  that  we  might  have  been  able 


ITALY.  229 

to  stay  there  over  night  if  circumstances  had  de- 
manded it. 

The  arrival  of  a  motor  car,  and  a  foreign  one  at 
that,  attracted  considerable  attention  in  the  little 
town.  When  we  stopped  at  the  drug  store  to  get 
some  gasoline  the  whole  place  before  the  shop  was 
soon  filled  with  curious  onlookers.  The  druggist 
also  kept  a  pastry  department  and  a  baker's  coun- 
ter, so  we  found  our  lunch  there  at  the  same  time. 


•y^^ 


".      .      .   attracted   considerable   attention." 

To  the  delight  of  our  children  he  possessed  some 
kind  of  a  soda-water  fountain  from  which  he  re- 
tailed excellent  raspberry  juice.  I  was  rather 
amused  by  the  sight  of  a  glaring  sign  advertising 
"Vermouth  Americano." 

By  the  time  we   left  the   drug  store   we   found 
trouble    in    pushing   our    way    through    the    dense 


230  ITALY. 

crowd  which  surrounded  our  carriage  while  Lewis 
was  emptying  a  huge  glass  carboy  of  "benzina." 

I  was  rather  startled  to  see  that  the  streets  of 
this  out-of-the-way  place  were  provided  with  arc 
lamps  of  the  latest  pattern.  While  I  had  become 
accustomed  to  the  sight  of  electric  appliances  in 
all  Italian  places  which  possessed  abundant  water 
power,  I  certainly  would  not  have  expected  to  find 
this  luxury  here,  in  a  flat  country,  rather  distant 
from  the  mountains,  and  where  coal  must  be  im- 
ported from  England  at  a  very  high  cost. 

When  we  left  the  town  we  took  a  boy  aboard  to 
show  us  the  way  through  the  crooked  streets.  He 
seemed  to  enjoy  the  ride  as  much  as  the  few  soldi  he 
got  for  his  service. 

Just  as  we  were  getting  again  into  the  open  coun- 
try we  met  another  boy  leading  a  fine  black  horse. 
As  soon  as  he  saw  our  car  approaching  he  became 
so  excited  as  to  pull  the  horse  wildly  toward  him, 
with  the  result  that  the  animal  was  frightened  be- 
yond control  and  started  rearing  and  jumping  in  all 
directions.  As  usual  in  such  occurrences  we 
stopped.  When  the  horse  seemed  to  quiet  down  we 
prepared  to  start  again,  but  the  animal  resumed  the 
antics  of  a  would-be  flying  machine.  The  boy  clung 
tenaciously  to  his  horse,  but  shrieked  and  howled 
while  he  was  being  dragged  along.  At  this  critical 
moment  Lewis,  who  is  an  excellent  hand  at  horses, 
jumped  to  the  rescue  and  succeeded  in  quieting  the 
black  Pegasus,  while  patting  him  on  the  back.  He 
motioned  to  me  to  advance  while  he  held  the  trem- 
bling horse,  but  scarcely  was  the  car  moving  again 
when  Black  Beauty  compelled  Lewis  to  execute  a 


ITALY. 


231 


lively  dance,  and  he  was  pulled  along  just  as  easily 
as  had  been  the  Italian  boy.  In  the  meantime  his 
expression  seemed  to  convey  the  thought  that  on  an 
occurrence  like  this  one  it  is  quite  a  different  thing 
to  look  at  a  frightened  horse  from  inside  a  motor 
car  than  to  look  at  the  machine  with  the  frantic 
animal  tied  to  one's  self.  We  tried  to  fasten  the 
horse  to  a  telegraph  pole,  but  as  soon  as  the  Italian 
boy  understood  our  intentions   he   set  up   such   a 


"...     livestock    raising  seems   to    be   almost    the    only    kind    of 
enterprise." 

terrific  wail  that  we  stopped  short  in  our  attempt. 
Finally,  by  stopping  the  motor  long  enough  and 
giving  time  to  the  bewildered  animal  to  quiet  down, 
Lewis  succeeded,  to  the  relief  of  everybody,  in  lead- 
ing the  horse  quickly  past  the  machine.  Similar 
incidents  had  occurred  more  than  once  before,  but 
we  always  succeeded  in  terminating  them  without 
damage  to  anybody,  by  using  a  little  diplomacy  and 
patience. 

In  this   fever-stricken  country  livestock  raising 


232  ITALY. 

seems  to  be  almost  the  only  kind  of  enterprise  that 
is  attempted.  Herds  of  magnificent  big  white  cattle, 
with  large  horns,  were  met  now  and  then.  Most  of 
the  time  they  were  grazing  in  pastures,  separated 
only  from  the  road  by  clumsy  hedges  made  of 
thistles  and  thorns,  held  together  by  barbed  wire. 
Quite  often  we  were  stopped  by  bunches  of  stray 
oxen,  steers  or  bulls  which  had  managed  to  get  out 
of  the  inefficient  enclosure.  The  humming  of  our 
advancing  car  made  little  impression  on  them  be- 


"...     a  stupid  look  of  astonishment." 

yond  producing  a  stupid  look  of  astonishment. 
Sometimes  they  took  to  easy  running,  only  to  stop 
again  a  little  farther  and  renew  this  process  over 
and  over  again.  At  other  times  they  refused  to 
move  at  all  and  remained  placidly  in  the  road,  com- 
pelling us  to  crowd  them  aside  while  we  drove 
slowly  and  made  all  possible  noise. 

These  animals  seem  to  be  left  entirely  to  their 
own  care  during  the  warm  season.  I  was  told  that 
as  soon  as  the  summer  begins  the  cattle  herders 


ITALY.  233 

retreat  to  the  mountains  to  escape  the  dreaded 
malaria.  We  passed  several  abandoned  houses,  of 
which  the  windows  and  all  openings  were  covered 
with  rusty-looking  wire  netting,  as  an  attempted 
protection  against  malaria-breeding  mosquito-bites. 
Once  in  a  while  we  saw  some  kind  of  shelter  made 
of  a  little  straw  hut  perched  on  poles  ten  or  twelve 
feet  above  the  ground,  and  the  aperture  of  which 
was  closed  by  mosquito  netting.  These  were  the 
retreats  devised  for  such  cattlemen  or  herders  as 
might  be  compelled  to  sleep  in  this  unhealthful 
country. 

The  cadaveric  look  of  one  or  two  men  with  whom 
I  talked  reminded  me  of  the  story  of  the  New 
Yorker  who  kept  bragging  that  he  could  determine, 
at  sight,  the  home  State  of  any  American  who  was 
introduced  to  him,  at  which  a  sportive  companion 
induced  him  into  a  bet.  The  New  Yorker  was  con- 
fronted with  several  people.  To  the  first  one  he 
said: 

"Why,  man,  you  are  a  Kentuckian." 

''Right  you  are,"  came  the  answer. 

"And  you,  you  are  a  Californian." 

"Well  done  again." 

And  he  continued,  successfully,^  to  designate  their 
respective  States,  until,  with  a  broad  smile  on  his 
face,  he  addressed  the  last  man. 

"You,  my  friend,  are  the  easiest  case  of  the  lot. 
VoH  are  from  New  Jersey." 

"Now  we've  got  you,"  was  the  rejoinder.  "I  can 
prove  to  you  that  I  was  born  in  New  York  and  have 
always  resided  in  that  State,  but  I  have  been  ill  in 
the  hospital  for  the  last  six  weeks." 


234  ITALY. 

Our  road  ran  suddenly  down  to  a  yellowish, 
muddy-looking  river,  at  the  other  shore  of  which 
was  a  flat-bottomed  boat,  intended  as  a  ferry.  After 
some  delay  and  repeated  yelling  the  lazy  boatman 
showed  up  and  pulled  the  boat  across  along  a 
stretched  rope.  After  some  hesitation  we  managed 
to  get  our  car  aboard  this  float  and  were  pulled 
to  the  other  shore.  Two  lire  and  seventy-five 
centisimi  were  exacted  for  this  service. 

The  two  men  looked  like  dreary,  weary  malaria- 
suffering  individuals,  and  by  their  very  taciturnity 
they  contrasted  very  much  with  the  average  talka- 
tive Italians. 

Somewhat  further  we  arrived  at  another  river,  but 
this  one  was  blue  and  salty.  On  the  opposite  side 
stood  an  old  fortress,  the  crenelated  parapets  of 
which  gave  a  repressive  look  to  the  surroundings. 
We  were  ferried  across,  but  this  time  five  lire  were 
asked. 

I  only  hoped  that  we  should  not  meet  any  more 
rivers  without  bridges,  because  if  this  rate  of  fer- 
riage was  increasing  in  the  same  proportion  I  would 
hardly  possess  any  Italian  money  by  the  time  we 
should  reach  Rome. 

I  knew  that  formerly  it  was  quite  customary  for 
the  lonely  traveler  to  be  held  up  by  the  bandits  who 
infested  these  desolate  roads,  and  I  was  inclined  to 
think  that  the  newer  generation  had  adopted  ferry 
tolls  as  a  less  risky  way  of  obtaining  booty. 

All  these  stoppages  had  made  us  lose  much  time, 
and  as  the  days  had  become  quite  short  it  was  out 
of  the  question  to  reach  Rome  before  night. 
Furthermore,  we  desired  not  to  forego  the  pleasure 


ITALY.  235 

of  entering  the  classic  city  in  full  daylight.  So  we 
concluded  to  stop  over  night  at  Civita  Vecchia, 
which  we  were  told  possessed  one  or  two  good 
hotels. 

.  Our  road  was  fair  but  rather  undulating,  com- 
pelling us  to  make  now  and  then  some  sharp 
ascents,  followed  by  corresponding  declines.  We 
passed  Albarese,  Montalto  di  Castri  and,  about 
twenty  kilometers  farther,  skirted  a  sort  of  hilly 
promontory,  on  which  we  saw  a  walled  town  with 
numerous  towers  of  very  antique  appearance.  This 
was  Corneto  or  Corneto  Tarquinia,  the  latter  name 
suggesting  the  fact  that  the  Corneto  of  the  Middle 
Ages  had  been  built  on  the  site  of  the  old  Etruscan 
Tarquinii.  I  know  that  this  picturesque  little  place 
had  unusual  attraction  from  an  archaeological  stand- 
point, and  that  many  interesting  finds  of  antique  ob- 
jects had  been  made  in  the  ancient  Etruscan  necrop- 
olis. Much  would  I  have  liked  to  spend  a  few 
hours  there,  but  the  sun  was  setting,  and  we  had 
still  twenty  kilometers  to  run  before  we  should  reach 
Civita  Vecchia.  This  suppressed  visit  to  Corneto, 
together  with  many  others,  had  to  be  postponed 
until  some  future  tour  in  Italy. 

We  were  hurrying  now  as  much  as  we  could. 
The  country  seemed  more  and  more  deserted,  and 
the  road  was  winding  through  a  landscape  which, 
in  the  falling  darkness,  took  on  an  increasingly 
weird  appearance.  One  instant  we  were  on  the  top 
of  a  hiir,  the  next  in  some  valley  hidden  by  crouch- 
ing trees,  and  only  a  few  moments  later  we  were 
again  close  to  the  rocky  seacoast. 

The  whole  district  reminded  me  involuntarily  of 


236  ITALY. 

stories  of  brigandage,  as  I  had  read  in  my  younger 
years,  and  of  which  the  scene  was  enacted  in  this 
same  stretch  of  country,  so  well  adapted  for  such 
nefarious  purposes.  It  was  not  worth  while  to  light 
the  acetylene  searchlights  for  such  a  short  time,  but- 
we  turned  on  our  electric  lamps.  Suddenly  the  road 
took  a  sharp  turn  to  the  right,  with  a  rapid  incline 
toward  the  sea,  and  it  looked  entirely  as  if  we  were 
going  to  plunge  into  the  dark  Mediterranean. 
There  was  no  town,  nor  even  a  single  light  in  sight ; 
nothing  but  the  inky  darkness.  We  reduced  our 
speed  somewhat,  wondering  whether  we  had  again 
lost  our  way,  when  all  at  once  we  perceived  a  flash 
of  light,  followed  by  others  at  regular  intervals ; 
this  brought  us  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  the 
lighthouse  of  Civita  Vecchia. 

We  now  passed  under  a  dark  brick  archway  that 
seemed  to  line  the  seashore,  and  which  I  afterward 
learned  was  an  aqueduct.  Then  climbing  the  road 
toward  our  left,  we  were  able  to  distinguish,  in  the 
general  obscurity,  the  shadows  of  a  barracks  or 
fortress.  An  officer  of  the  Dazio  halted  us  and 
after  we  told  him  we  had  nothing  to  declare  showed 
us  the  way  toward  a  very  narrow  street  between 
tall  houses.  This  sort  of  alley  was  swarming  with 
people  and  we  had  to  advance  as  slowly  as  pos- 
sible to  allow  the  crowd  to  retreat  inside  the  door- 
ways and  shops  that  lined  both  sides  of  the 
thoroughfare.  As  usual,  this  gave  a  chance  to  the 
street  boys  to  follow  us  in  a  bunch  and  to  try  to 
hang  on  any  projecting  parts  of  our  car.  We 
arrived  at  a  little  "piazza"  where  a  military  band 
was    playing;    but    a    policeman    came    hurriedly 


ITALY..  237 

toward  us,  and  as  far  as  I  could  make  out  by  his 
excited  talk  and  gesticulations,  it  was  forbidden  to 
drive  in  that  part  of  the  town  as  long  as  the  concert 
lasted.  An  old  man  who  spoke  French  offered  his 
services  as  an  interpreter.  1  inquired  for  the 
Albergo  Italia,  and  after  we  took  him  aboard  he 
guided  us  up  and  down  several  streets,  until  we 
finally  came  out  on  a  kind  of  boulevard  along  the 
seashore  planted  with  trees  on  both  sides.  There 
was  our  hotel,  and  the  landlord  received  us  with 
pleasant  greeting  and  gave  us  two  spacious  rooms 
fronting  the  sea. 

We  had  a  well-prepared  and  nicely  served  supper, 
and  after  that  went  to  bed,  thankful  that  at  the  end 
of  a  hard  day's  run  we  obtained  such  accommoda- 
tion where  we  had  least  expected  to  find  it. 

The  next  morning  we  were  in  no  great  hurry  to 
get  away,  and  while  Lewis  was  filling  our  gasoline 
tank  at  the  pharmacy  we  took  a  rapid  look  around 
the  little  seaport.  I  had  read  that  the  harbor  was 
constructed  by  Trajan  as  the  nearest  haven  to 
Rome.  However,  the  shipping  trade  of  the  place 
seems  to  be  of  very  little  activity.  With  a  scanty 
population  of  12,000  inhabitants,  its  well-stocked 
garrison  seems  to  give  preponderant  importance  to 
the  soldier  element.  This  impression  is  strength- 
ened by  the  presence  of  a  fort  and  a  peculiar-look- 
ing citadel  built  by  Michael  Angelo. 

The  country  which  we  traversed  that  morning 
was  similar  to  the  one  through  which  we  went  the 
previous  night,  but  was  provided  with  an  excellent 
road.  The  land  was  uncultivated  and  sparsely 
settled,   with  only  two  or  three  small  agglomera- 


238  ITALY. 

tions  of  houses.  As  upon  the  day  before,  we  some- 
times met  a  soHtary  cattleman  on  horseback.  With 
his  lasso,  spurred  boots  and  leather  pouch,  he  made 
us  think  that  an  American  cowboy  might  have  a 
similar  appearance  if  he  had  purchased  his  outfit 
and  store  clothes  in  Italy. 

Now  and  then  a  marble  road  sign  read :  ''Via 
Aurelia."  The  route  was  hilly  in  places  but  of 
excellent  surface.  We  were  in  no  hurry  at  all,  and 
gave  the  children  a  chance  to  get  out,  and  followed 
them  while  they  were  chasing  green  lizards,  which 
abounded  everywhere.  But  the  nimble  little  animals 
were  too  quick  for  their  pursuers,  who  thus  were 
unable  to  further  enrich  their  menagerie. 

The  monotony  of  the  road  in  this  uncultivated 
country  was  accentuated  sometimes  by  the  sight  of 
a  lonely  ceinetery,  surrounded  with  a  patchy,  square 
white  wall,  above  which  protruded  the  dark  green 
tops  of  a  straight  row  of  cypress  trees.  Through 
the  gratings  of  the  rusty  iron  gate  we  could  look 
inside  on  the  neglected  graves,  planted  with  an 
alternation  of  white  marble  and  rusty  iron  crosses, 
the  whole  place  of  desolation  being  overrun  with 
dried-out  weeds. 

Really,  it  was  hard  |:o  imagine  that  we  were  so 
near  Rome.  Thus  far  we  had  tried  in  vain  to  catch 
a  first  glimpse  of  the  ancient  city,  but  finally,  upon 
reaching  a  hilly  summit  of  the  road,  we  saw  in  the 
hazy  distance  the  unmistakable  outline  of  the  dome 
of  St.  Peter's.  We  again  lost  sight  of  it  as  soon  as 
the  road  bent  downward.  .  The  surrounding,  roll- 
ing land  shut  out  any  further  view,  and  we  went 
on  for  many  miles  further  before  we  reached  an 


ITALY. 


239 


we  found  ourselves  passing  a  huge  colonnade. 


a  part  of  our  very  home  transported  into  the  midst  of  these 
foreign  countries." 


240  ITALY. 

agglomeration  of  houses,  at  the  end  of  which  we 
were  stopped  by  an  officer  of  the  Dazio.  On  inquiry 
as  to  how  far  we  were  from  Rome  he  startled  me 
by  saying  that  we  were  now  in  Rome,  and  that 
this  was  the  entrance  to  the  Porta  Cavallegieri.  We 
had  hardly  realized  this  fact  before  we  found  our- 
selves passing  a  huge  colonnade  and  were  on  the 
Piazza  di  San  Pietro,  gazing  at  St.  Peter's  Church. 
There,  right  in  front  of  us,  stood  the  Obelisk  and 
the  two  fountains  and  the  ellipse  of  colonnades. 
There,  also,  was  the  famous  dome,  and  every  detail 
of  the  classic  structure,  which  formerly  had  been 
made  familiar  to  us  by  photographs,  was  easily 
recognized.  We  all  dismounted.  Here  we  were 
thus  in  Rome !  That  new  impression  was  made  so 
much  the  more  powerful  by  the  very  presence  of 
our  trusty  limousine,  which  could  not  fail  to  remind 
us  of  our  distant  home  on  the  other  side  of  the 
ocean.  More  than  ever  it  appeared  to  me  as  if  this 
car,  with  all  its  bundles,  trunks  and  other  knick- 
knacks,  was  a  part  of  our  very  home  transported 
into  the  midst  of  these  foreign  countries.  Never 
more  than  at  that  very  instant  did  I  realize  what 
new  possibilities  had  been  introduced  into  the  world 
by  the  advent  of  the  automobile.  Here  we  were, 
after  thousands  of  miles  of  travel  through  many 
lands,  in  a  city  which,  since  my  boyhood  days,  had 
enlivened  my  imagination,  and  yet  the  presence  of 
our  little  family  and  some  of  our  household  had 
made  me  feel  during  the  whole  trip,  as  well  as  now, 
as  if  we  had  carried  something  of  our  own  home 
along. 

And  what  glorious  weather !    It  looked  decidedly 


ITALY.  241 

as  if  the  very  best  of  it  had  been  reserved  for  this 
day  so  as  to  make  our  entrance  into  the  Eternal  City 
so  much  the  more  enjoyable.  We  started  again, 
driving  slowly  along  the  yellow  Tiber.  That  old 
tower  in  front  of  the  first  bridge  was  the  Castle 
of  San  Angelo ;  a  short  distance  farther  we  were 
somewhat  puzzled  at  the  sight  of  a  succession  of 
very  new  and  modern  buildings,  among  which  was 
the   Palazzo  di  Justizia.     But  as  soon  as  we  had 


stopped   for  a   wiuie   bciore   tiie   (Jbeiisk   01    the   Piazza. 

crossed  the  Tiber,  by  the  Ponte  Margherita,  we 
were  again  confronted  by  monuments  of  the  past. 
We  stopped  for  a  while  before  the  Obelisk  of  the 
Piazza  del  Populo,  and  while  we  were  admiring  the 
antique  fountain  I  saw  Lewis  filling  his  canvas  pail 
with  water  for  his  radiator. 

I  asked  the  way  of  two  "carabinieri,"  and  a  boy, 
whom  we  had  picked  up  as  a  guide,  accompanied 
us  up  hill,  along  the  Villa  Borghese,  to  the  Pincio, 
where  we  finally  arrived  at  the  Eden  Hotel.    I  was 


242 


ITALY. 


glad  that  a  friend  of  mine  had  recommended  the 
place  to  me.  This  was  indeed  a  healthy  and  pleas-, 
ant  situation,  wherefrom  we  could  reach  rapidly 
any  part  of  the  city.  We  found  our  quarters  excel- 
lent in  every  respect.  I  can  now  hardly  think  of 
the  place  without  being  reminded  of  some  exquisite 
light  sweet  wine,  called  Est-Est.  Alontefiascone,  the 
fiascos  of  which  added  nectar  to  the  excellent  table 
d'hote.     The  only  drawback  was  that  the  hotel  had 


"I  asked  the  way  of  two  carabinieri.' 


no  place  to  store  automobiles  and  that  our  car  had 
to  be  sent  to  a  well-equipped  garage  several  blocks 
away,  where  they  charged  us  three  lire  daily,  a  small 
sum,  though,  if  compared  to  what  is  asked  in  the 
States,  yet  it  was  the  highest  price  I  had  been 
obliged  to  pay  since  touring  in  Europe. 

The  same  day  we  took  a  walk  through  the  city  to 
get  acquainted  with  the  general  layout.  The  re- 
mainder of  the  week  was  spent  in  visiting  museums 


it  looks  somewhat   like  an  anachronism. 


244  ITALY. 

and  other  places  of  interest.  Under  the  guidance  of 
a  courier  we  made  some  automobile  excursions  in 
and  around  the  city  to  such  places  as  had  prepon- 
derant connection  with  old  Roman  history. 

At  first  it  looks  somewhat  like  an  anachronism 
to  see  one's  motor  car  standing  near  the  Colosseum 
or  the  Forum  Romanum,  or  to  drive  along  the 
Appian  Way,  and  yet  one  soon  gets  used  to  this 
and  finds  it  perfectly  natural.  I  was  pleased  to 
observe  with  what  a  keen  interest  my  children  went 
to  see  these  old  witnesses  of  the  pAst  splendor  of 
ancient  Rome.  Their  intelligent  and  eager  ques- 
tions made  me  believe  that  for  them  at  least  the 
study  of  Roman  history  will  be  more  captivating 
and  more  useful  than  it  was  for  me,  at  the  time 
when  my  teachers  tried  to  push  into  my  youthful 
brain  a  lot  of  dry  facts,  the  reality  of  which  I  had 
not  the  slightest  tangible  evidence  of ;  for  this  reason 
ancient  history  failed  entirely  to  interest  me  until 
I  had  reached  the  riper  age  of  manhood. 

The  proverb  says :  "The  nearer  Rome  the  worse 
Catholics."  Whether  this  is  really  the  case  I  am 
not  certain.  Ill-assorted  groups  of  countrified 
French  pilgrims,  male  and  female,  whom  I  met 
everywhere,  led  by  their  village  priests,  seemed  to 
flock  around  every  church.  Their  presence  cer- 
tainly did  not  help  to  add  dignity  to  some  of  the 
gaudily  decorated  chambers  of  the  Vatican,  where 
these  visitors  seemed  to  feast  on  the  sight  of  those 
pamtings  of  suffering,  blood  and  gore  representing 
the  lives  of  the  holy  martyrs.  I  observed  one 
woman  detaching  some  plaster  from  a  wall  on 
which  was  painted  the  Child  Christ,  and  she  put  the 


ITALY. 


245 


went   to  see  old  witnesses  of  the  past  splendor  of   Rome." 


or  to  drive  along  the  Appian   Way     .     .     ," 


246  ITALY. 

fragments  in  her  mouth,  while  with  the  other  hand 
she  was  crossing  herself.  I  saw  the  same  pilgrims 
apply  their  lips  to  the  kiss-worn  toes  at  the  foot  of 
Saint  Peter's  bronze  statue  in  the  church.  These 
are  the  customers  on  whom  live  the  numerous  shops 
where  blessed  paper  images  of  saints  and  miracu- 
lous brass  medals  are  sold  in  exchange  for  the 
coin  of  the  believers.  Their  undeveloped  reason 
evidently  fails  to  make  them  see  that  there  is  no 
difference  in  their  kind  of  worship  and  the  ancient 
pagan's  idolatry,  to  which  they  refer  with  undis- 
guised scorn.  Neither  can  I  forget  that  cynical 
and  flippant  monk  who  acted  as  our  guide  in  the 
Catacombs — a  place  full  of  the  remembrance  of  the 
heroic  struggles  and  Spartanlike  devotion  of  those 
simple  and  honest  early  Christians.  I  fail  to  per- 
ceive much  difference  between  the  beguiling  priests 
of  antique  religions  and  these  modern  monks,  who, 
among  divers  miraculous  trinkets,  retail  brandy  cor- 
dials manufactured  by  their  holy  order. 

Is  there,  then,  a  law  which  decides  that  for  all 
religions,  in  all  times  and  in  all  lands,  pure,  higher 
thoughts,  too  elevated  for  the  base  multitude,  will, 
in  sordid  and  trivial  brains,  be  interpreted  in 
accordance  with  the  limitations  of  the  latter,  and 
changed  until  they  become  more  adapted  to  lower 
developed  souls,  even  to  the  point  where  the  initial 
sublime  conception  becomes  well-nigh  unrecogniz- 
able? 

These  and  similar  reflections  forced  themselves 
upon  me  again  and  again  during  that  week  while 
we  stayed  in  Rome.  In  that  extraordinary  city  one 
cannot  help  being  confronted  at  every  minute  with 


ITALY. 


247 


Appian   Way   and  tomb   of   Caecilia   Metella. 


'Confronted  at  every  minute  with  a  never-ceasing  comparison  of  the 
past  and  present." 


248  ITALY. 

a  never-ceasing  comparison  of  the  past  and  the 
present. 

Just  on  account  of  the  very  intensity  of  emotions 
thus  evoked,  in  Rome  less  than  any  other  place, 
sightseeing  should  not  be  overdone.  Even  if  the 
body  can  stand  it  the  mind  becomes  congested  after 
being  fed  thus,  day  after  day,  on  a  concentrated 
extract  of  the  history  of  the  most  stirring  times 
of  our  own  race.  The  most  sensible  thing  to  do  is 
either  to  make  the  stay  in  Rome  a  short  one,  with 
the  intention  of  returning  later  on,  or  to  alternate 
study  and  sightseeing  with  some  days  of  absolute 
rest  at  the  hotel.  In  Rome  more  than  elsewhere  I 
have  seen  worn-out  and  tired  faces  of  traveling 
Americans  who  wanted  to  "do"  Rome  in  a  few  days 
and  not  miss  anything. 

I  really  wonder  how  some  persons  can  stand  such 
strain  at  all,  if  their  whole  mental  feelings  are 
brought  into  play.  Fortunately  for  most  of  them, 
their  aim  and  interest  in  what  they  see  is  not  very 
intense  and  does  not  reach  beyond  the  mere  passive 
gratification  of  the  bare  desire  of  seeing  with  their 
eyes  and  not  with  their  soul ;  for  such  people  there 
is  not  much  danger  of  exhaustion  outside  of  some 
physical  fatigue. 

On  the  19th  of  September  we  left  Rome  by  the 
Porta  San  Lorenzo  instead  of  taking  the  direct 
road  to  Naples  by  the  Porta  Maggiore.  My  idea  in 
doing  this  was  to  combine  a  visit  to  Tivoli  with  our 
trip  toward  Naples. 

As  soon  as  we  were  outside  the  city  limits  the 
road  became  rather  bumpy  and  rutty  on  account  of 
the  heavv  traffic.     To  make  matters  worse,  it  was 


ITALY.  249 

dusty,  too;  but  after  our  experience  near  Allessan- 
dria  we  did  not  mind  a  little  dust  as  long  as  we 
could  breathe.  We  were  now  in  the  Campagna 
Romana,  made  famous  in  history  through  song  and 
rhyme.  In  reality  it  is  an  extended  plain,  poorly 
cultivated  and  showing  the  Alban  Mountains  and 
the  Sabine  Hills  in  the  distance,  while  still  further 
away  the  chain  of  the  Appenines  is  visible. 

At  a  place  called  Bagni  Acque  Albule  we  all  be- 
came aware, of  a  fetid  smell,  as  if  ''fresh  laid"  eggs 
from  the  time  of  Julius  Caesar  were  to  be  encoun- 
tered. But  we  soon  found  that  all  the  mischief  was 
due  to  an  innocent-looking,  swift-running  little 
stream,  which  drove  a  sawmill  near  by  and  which 
gushed  under  a  bridge  across  the  street.  This  was 
mineral  water,  charged  by  nature  with  sulphuretted 
hydrogen,  and  which  feeds  the  sulphur  baths  of 
Acque  Albule.  The  amount  of  sulphur  gas  is  such 
that  the  otherwise  clear  blue  water,  under  the 
oxidizing  action  of  the  air,  deposits  on  all  objects 
with  which  it  comes  in  contact  a  grayish-white  coat 
of  sulphur.  Further  up,  near  the  bridge  that  crosses 
the  Anio,  we  passed  the  well-preserved  tomb  of  the 
Plautii,  a  round  tower,  very  much  similar  to  the 
tomb  of  Caecilia  Metella  on  the  Appian  Way. 

A  narrow  side  road  to  the  right  had  the  sign 
"Villa  Adriana."  This  was  one  of  the  objects  of 
interest  we  intended  to  visit  that  day.  We  reached 
there  a  few  minutes  afterward.  I  was  not  aware 
that  these  ruins  were  so  extensive,  and  it  took  us 
more  than  two  hours  to  make  a  rapid  inspection  of 
the  remains  of  what  at  one  time  was  one  of  the 
most   pretentious   and   elaborate   country   villas   in 


250  ITALY. 

existence.  Here,  indeed,  Emperor  Adrian,  at  the 
beginning  of  the  second  century,  tried  to  repro- 
duce and  condense  the  principal  marvels  of  land- 
scape gardening  and  architectural  display  he  had 
seen  in  his  many  expeditions  and  travels  through 
foreign  countries.  After  I  had  beheld  these 
enormous  ruins  I  was  no  longer  astonished  that 
this  same  Adrian  should  have  ordered  the  con- 
struction of  that  famous  "Adrian's  Wall"  of 
which  I  had  seen  traces  near  Carlisle, .  and  which 
formerly  extended  from  the  Solway  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Tyne,  as  an  intended  protection  of  the 
Roman  provinces  in  England  against  the  invasion 
of  the  Picts  and  Scots.  A  similar  work,  called  the 
'Tfahlgraben,"  was  carried  out  in  Gennany,  to 
establish  a  line  of  defense  against  the  attacks  of  the 
barbarians. 

While  walking  through  the  ruins  I  noticed  that 
in  several  places  soldiers  of  the  first  French  republic 
had  scribbled  their  names  in  red  chalk  on  the  ceil- 
ing. Since  that  time  new  excavations  had  reduced 
the  level  of  the  soil,  thus  causing  these  ceilings  to 
become  inaccessible  to  the  newer  generations  of 
visitors,  and  accounting  for  the  fact  that  the 
century-old  inscriptions  appear  as  clear  and  distinct 
as  if  they  were  made  yesterday. 

I  was  rather  interested  in  some  prettily  designed 
mosaic  floors.  Some  portions  were  so  well  preserved 
that  they  looked  every  bit  as  if  they  had  been  made 
but  lately  by  some  New  York  member  of  the  tile 
setters'  union. 

This  remark  came  so  much  more  naturally  be- 
cause   the    design,    the    coloring   and    the    general 


ITALY. 


2SI 


Roman   wine  cart. 


at  one  time  was  one  of  the  most  pretentious  and  elaborate 
country  villas." 


252  ITALY. 

appearance  are  astonishingly  similar  to  the  prevail- 
ing style  of  work  now  so  much  in  vogue  in  some 
of  the  most  modern  American  fireproof  buildings. 

Thus  far  our  day's  program  had  been  progressing 
very  nicely,  and  we  were  driving  further  toward 
Tivoli,  when,  upon  changing  gears  at  a  steep  hill, 
our  enthusiasm  was  frozen  in  our  hearts  by  the 
same  sharp,  snapping  noise  that  had  announced  a 
crippled  car  before.  We  were  prepared  for  the 
worst,  but  were  glad  to  find  that  this  time  matters 
were  not  so  bad.  One  tooth  of  the  pinion  and  two 
teeth  of  the  master  gear  had  snapped.  A  more 
thorough  examination  proved  to  us  that  this  trouble, 
as  upon  previous  occasions,  had  been  caused  simply 
by  a  detail  which  had  been  much  overlooked ;  if  this 
irregularity  had  been  located  sooner  we  might  have 
been  saved  much  annoyance.  A  worn-out  pin  had 
slid  out  of  the  shaft,  allowing  one  of  the  ball  bear- 
ings to  recede,  thereby  giving  it  undue  play,  so  that 
the  pinion  shaft,  under  an  extraordinary  strain, 
lifted  the  teeth  out  of  mesh,  with  the  result  that 
something  had  to  give  way  or  break.  In  the  first 
instance  the  unusually  small  pinion  snapped  in  two, 
while  in  the  latter  case  the  regular  and  stronger 
pinion  had  stood  the  strain,  but  one  tooth  broke  off. 
All  this  was  bad  enough,  but  I  concluded  that  we 
had  a  good  chance  to  use  the  gear  as  it  was  for  sev- 
eral hundred  miles,  and  this  would  allow  us  to  post- 
pone repairs  until  we  were  back  in  New  York. 
Lewis  tightened  the  bearing  as  well  as  he  could, 
and  we  attempted  to  ascend  the  steep,  winding  road. 
As  long  as  we  kept  in  the  same  gear  matters  went 
well  enough,  but  whenever  we  had  to  slide  the  lever 


ITALY.  253 

we  heard  a  violent  noise,  which  seemed  to  crush  the 
remaining  teeth  as  well  as  our  hopes.  We  wondered 
with  distrust  whether  the  transmission  would  hold 
together  until  we  were  at  the  end  of  our  climb.  By 
degrees  we  became  accustomed  to  the  situation  to 
the  extent  that  we  again  began  to  pay  attention  to 
the  scenery  around  us.  We  were  now  among  fine, 
vigorous  olive  trees,  of  which  the  smallest  seemed 
at  least  several  centuries  old.  Now  and  then, 
through  a  clearing  between  the  vegetation,  we 
obtained  a  magnificent  -view  over  the  Campagna 
Romana,  with  the  city  of  Rome  in  the  dim  distance. 

We  reached  Tivoli  without  further  trouble  and 
wound  our  way  through  the  crooked,  narrow  streets. 
Nowhere,  except  in  Naples,  were  we  bothered  so 
much  by  beggars,  guides  and  postal  card  vendors. 
We  stopped  at  a  very  quaint-looking,  easy-going 
little  hotel,  of  which  the  terrace  ended  abruptly  over 
a  gorge.  The  latter  was  covered  with  abundant 
vegetation,  kept  green  by  the  steady  spray  of  the 
impetuous  Anio,  which  here  dashes  through  and 
over  the  rocks  in  many  waterfalls,  boring  grottoes 
right  and  left.  The  picturesqueness  of  the  ensemble 
is  much  enhanced  by  the  ruins  of  the  Sibyl  Temple, 
of  which  the  circular  Corinthian  colonnade  graces 
the  opposite  bluff. 

This  unusual  scenery  has  made  this  place 
famous  since  early  historical  times  and  has  attracted 
poets,  philosophers  and  emperors  of  antiquity.  It 
is  still  considered  one  of  the  most  interesting  places 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Rome. 

Our  little  hotel  was  neatly  kept  and  lighted  by 
electricity,  and  it  certainly  offered  us  better  shelter 


254 


ITALY. 


than  we  expected  tO|  find  on  entering.  Quite  a 
commotion  occurred  among  our  little  party  soon 
after  our  arrival  when  the  children  found  out  that 


'The    picturesqueness    of   the    ensemble    was    enhanced    by    the    ruins 
of  the   Sibyl   Temple." 


one  of  their  Bengalee  birds  had  again  escaped.  Half 
an  hour  afterward  we  saw  the  little  creature  hidden 
on  an  orange  tree,  and  the  usual  chase  followed. 
The  bird  was  almost  captured,  when  it  flew  into  the 


ITALY.  255 

branches  of  an  oleander,  and  from  there  into  the 
rainbow-covered  chasm,  whence  it  (Usappeared 
among  the  grottoes  surrounding  the  waterfalls. 
That  was  the  last  we  saw  of  our  little  traveling  com- 
panion; his  little  mate  was  brought  safely  to  the 
United  States,  after  my  children  had  provided  it 
with  another  fellow-bird  of  the  same  kind. 

In  and  around  Tivoli  there  were  enough  places 
of  interest  to  keep  us  very  busy  sightseeing  for  a 
day,  while  Lewis  made  a  careful  examination  of  the 
disabled  transmission.  A  temporary  repair  might 
probably  have  been  made  inside  of  a  few  hours,  but 
the  car  could  be  run  as  it  was. 

This  was  our  last  stretch  to  Naples,  and  the 
service  we  expected  from  the  car  ended  at  the  latter 
city.  The  trip  before  us,  however  meant  about  150 
miles,  with  little  or  no  chance  of  finding  decent 
hotels  between  the  beginning  and  the  end  of  the 
journey.  Besides,  the  country  through  which  we 
were  to  travel  is  a  hotbed  for  malaria.  If  the 
transmission  became  worse  it  might  mean  stoppage 
at  some  unforeseen  place  until  a  repair  could  be 
made.  Quite  naturally  I  concluded  that  it  would  be 
safer  for  my  wife  and  children  to  go  by  train,  while 
I  intended  to  take  chances  and,  accompanied  by 
Lewis,  get  to  Naples  by  motor  car  or  "bust." 

The  main  baggage  and  some  marble  statuary  pur- 
chased in  Rome  were  left  to  the  automobile,  while 
some  hand  satchels  were  sent  to  the  train.  Our 
little  party  thus  separated,  and  I  started  off  the  next 
morning  with  Lewis,  prepared  for  the  worst.  Down 
we  drove  by  the^  same  road  as  the  day  before,  but 
instead  of  returning  to  Rome  we  took  a  short  cut 


256  ITALY. 

over  a  side  road  toward  the  left,  which,  although 
narrower  than  the  main  route,  had  a  considerably 
better  surface. 

After  passing  a  village  called  Passerano  we 
should  have  taken  the  direct  road  to  Valmontone. 
But,  as  had  occurred  before,  in  a  country  of  which 
we  did  not  speak  the  language  and  where  road  signs 
were  few  and  far  between,  we  lost  our  way  and,  to 
our  disgust,  realized  it  only  after  we  had  started  to 
climb  a  hairpin  road  toward  Zagorola.  Climbing 
was  exactly  what  we  tried  to  avoid,  because  any 
undue  strain  might  mean  trouble.  As  soon  as  our 
ascent  began  the  gear  started  its  fearful  r-r-r-rk — 
r-r-r-rk,  and  I  expected  every  moment  to  feel  it 
give  out  entirely.  Yet  we  managed  to  climb  into 
this  old  village,  nestled  on  top  of  a  steep  hill. 

Judging  from  the  commotion  we  caused  I  do  not 
think  that  the  villagers  had  often  seen  automobiles. 
The  whole  population  flocked  together  to  see  us 
pass,  and  I  was  wondering  what  an  object  of 
further  curiosity  we  would  be  if  by  chance  our 
gear  gave  out  and  we  should  thus  be  hung  up  right 
then  and  there.  Just  when  I  was  making  these 
reflections  a  big  rat  ran  out  before  us  through  a 
group  of  frightened  women  and  children;  then  the 
animal  recrossed  the  street  and  jumped  into  a  door- 
way, underneath  a  robust  woman,  who  with  a 
whoop  jumped  high  in  the  air.  These  rapidly 
succeeding  happenings  somewhat  diverted  the  at- 
tention of  the  populace  and  left  us  a  clear  passage 
until  we  reached  the  exit  gate.  To  my  great  relief 
the  pinion  had  stood  the  strain,  and  as  the  road  went 
downward  we  now  could  coast  gently,  until  a  few 


ITALY.  257 

kilometers    further   we    joined   the   main    road   to 
Naples. 

Immediately  after  we  passed  Valmontone.  Mat- 
ters looked  very  hopeful,  although  we  had  still  210 
kilometers  before  us ;  from  here  on  we  would  never 
be  far  from  the  railroad.  In  case  of  a  breakdown 
it  would  be  possible  to  reach  some  place  where  re- 
pairs could  be  made,  and  if  the  worst  occurred  we 


At  the  fountain. 


would  do  what  so  many  motorists  had  done  before 
us — ship  the  car  by  rail.  The  latter  possibility  I 
disliked  very  much,  as  I  eagerly  desired  to  finish 
our  long  motor  tour  without  such  a  disappointing 
expedient. 

With  restored  confidence  I  could  now  take  my 
exclusive  attention  from  the  road,  which  was  excel- 
lent and  of  easy  grade,  and  I  felt  again  inclined  to 
admire  the  very  interesting  landscape.    We  were  in 


258  ITALY. 

a  flat  and  wide  Talley,  enclosed  on  both  sides  by  a 
range  of  mountains.  Our  route  was  so  straight 
that  we  could  see  a  long  distance  ahead.  There 
were  very  few  houses,  and  the  villages  were  sit- 
uated mostly  on  the  slopes  of  the  mountain  range, 
where  it  was  healthier  to  live  than  in  the  valley. 

In  the  distance  before  us  we  could  see  a  detached 
mountain,  on  top  of  which  was  situated  a  town,  in 
what  I  at  first  called  ''a  picturesque  position." 
Rather  soon  afterward  I  changed  my  opinion  on 
this  subject,  and  I  did  not  so  much  like  the  loca- 
tion of  the  place  after  I  found  out  on  the  map  that 
this  was  Ferentino,  and  that  our  route  compelled  us 
to  pass  through  it  over  the  mountain.  In  fact,  I 
felt  like  doing  some  pretty  hard  criticising  of  the 
unjustifiable  selfishness  of  the  Ferentinoese — I  sup- 
pose that's  the  name  of  these  people — who  compel 
motor  cars  with  tender  transmissions  to  visit  them 
in  their  roosting  haunts.  But  we  were  ''in  for  it" 
and  could  not  very  well  return.  On  a  level  road 
our  gear  had  given  us  no  further  unrest,  and  but 
for  a  very  slight  unusual  noise  we  hardly  noticed 
any  difference  at  all,  and  the  car  was  running  nicely. 
But  as  soon  as  we  started  climbing  over  the  zigzag 
road  the  same  nerve-racking  noise  began.  As  usual, 
we  were  soon  discovered  by  some  stray  street  boys, 
who,  seeing  our  approach  from  the  lower  windings 
of  the  road,  dashed  ahead  by  a  short  cut  and  lost 
no  time  in  notifying  the  other  boys  in  town,  who 
soon  assembled  like  a  band  of  yelling  redskins.  In 
accordance  with  our  principles  of  prudence  we  were 
forced  to  go  slowly.  This  gave  a  chance  to  the  little 
ragamuffins   to    hang   on    fenders,   steps   and   rear 


ITALY.  259 

trunks,  and  thus,  to  their  visible  dehght,  steal  an 
eagerly  coveted  ride.  I  found  that  it  was  best  to  let 
Lewis  off,  and  while  I  drove  slowly  on  he  brandished 
one  of  our  alpenstocks  and  kept  the  boys  at  a  re- 
spectful distance.  However,  the  main  trouble  was 
to  shake  off  these  mischievous  little  rascals  when 
leaving  the  town.  If  I  threw  in  the  high  gear 
too  suddenly  I  surely  would  have  murder  on  my 
conscience ;  but  we  adopted  a  little  trick  which  had 
never  failed  before  and  repeatedly  rendered  us 
service  the  same  day. 

Whenever  we  were  read}'  to  dash  ahead  Lewis 
would  come  aboard  and  lean  out  of  the  car  as  much 
as  possible  by  standing  on  the  step  while  holding 
the  railing  with  one  hand.  Fie  would  then  swing 
the  other  arm,  holding  an  Italian  penny  visibly 
between  his  fingers.  After  thus  drawing  the  atten- 
tion of  the  little  band  of  eager  youngsters  he  would 
wait  for  me  to  say  "Go!"  and  throw  the  coin  far 
behind  us.  The  ragged  crowd  w^ould  immediately 
dart  for  the  coveted  coin,  and  while  they  were 
tumbling  helter-skelter  in  a  fighting  heap  I  would 
throw  in  the  high  gear  and  make  off  at  full  speed. 

Ten  kilometers  farther,  at  Frosinone,  we  had  to 
pass  through  the  same  ordeal;  climb  to  a  thousand 
feet  of  altitude,  traverse  the  town,  and  shoot  down 
again.  But  our  gear  held  good,  and  I  now  felt  no 
further  hesitation.  Matters  were  going  well,  in- 
deed ;  our  engine,  which  had  never  been  •  taken 
apart  nor  repaired  during  the  two  years  it  had  been 
running,  seemed  to  go  better  than  ever,  and  we  were 
making  excellent  time.  I  avoided  using  the  foot 
brake  while  coasting  down  hills  to  prevent  too  much 


26o  ITALY. 

strain  on  the  sick  pinion,  and  had  to  rely  to  a  certain 
extent  on  the  Inih  brake. 

At  a  certain  place,  where  the  rapidly  descending 
road  was  empty  and  entirely  free  from  obstructions, 
we  came  down  at  a  rather  swift  pace,  when  sud- 
denly, at  the  most  unforeseen  spot,  a  huge  black 
pig  jumped  from  out  a  hedge  and  ran  in  front  of 
us.  I  had  the  feeling  that  the  next  instant  pig  and 
car  would  see  their  finish.  Instinctively  I  threw  in 
both  brakes  with  a  terrific  r-r-r-t-t-t.  I  thought  I 
heard  the  last  of  that  pinion,  but  managed  to  stop 
a  few  inches  before  striking  the  pig,  a  real  "road 
hog"  this  time,  which,  grunting,  swung  aside  and 
disappeared  into  the  same  hole  of  the  hedge  which 
had  sent  out  so  much  terror.  I  felt  the  ridiculous- 
ness of  our  f)osition — a  mere  ill-behaved  black  pig 
bringing  our  otherwise  successful  trip  to  an  un- 
timely and  disgraceful  end. 

I  had  stopped  the  engine  and  examined  the  car, 
and  felt  almost  sure  that  something  had  given  way. 
But  after  Lewis  started  the  motor  and  I  threw  in 
the  clutch  very  carefully  the  car  began  to  move 
slowly,  as  if  nothing  unusual  had  happened.  In 
fact,  it  seemed  to  run  smoother  than  before.  Im- 
mensely relieved,  we  continued  our  way,  very  mind- 
ful of  any  other  black  pigs  or  similar  ill-mannered 
animals. 

The  peasants  we  met  were  a  picturesque  lot,  most 
of  thdm  wearing  the  characteristic  Italian  country 
costume.  For  the  men  a  conical  felt  hat,  a  dark 
blue  jacket  and  short  black  breeches;  as  footwear, 
a  broad  sole  of  buffalo  hide  to  protect  the  feet,  the 
latter  being  first  wrapped  in  a  strip  of  linen,  which 


ITALY. 


261 


Animals  along  the   road. 


Road  hogs. 


262  ITALY. 

was  wound  all  over  feet  and  calves,  while  crossed 
buffalo  straps,  extending  from  the  soles,  kept  the 
material  tightly  around  the  legs.  Sometimes  the 
latter  were  partially  covered  by  a  black  knitted 
affair  resembling  the  upper  part  of  a  golf  stocking. 

The  women  had  similar  footwear  and  short  skirts. 
The  black  corset,  laced  in  front,  worn  outside,  was 
low  enough  to  show  the  upper  part  of  a  white 
linen  chemise  underneath.  A  bright-colored  hand- 
kerchief or  foulard  was  sometimes  worn  around 
the  otherwise  bare  neck,  while  their  plaited,  black 
and  glossy  hair  was  arranged  under  a  neatly  folded, 
square  sheet  of  white  linen  or  a  light  woolen 
blanket.  Big  golden  or  coral  earrings  and  a  similar 
brooch  usually  completed  this  striking  costume. 

Most  women  carried  a  pitcher,  a  basket  or  some 
other  object  on  their  heads  without  touching  it  with 
their  hands,  and  their  very  erect  posture  added  con- 
siderably to  their  graceful  appearance.  All  this 
impressed  me  so  much  the  more  because  this  was 
the  only  part  of  Italy,  barring  some  painter  models 
in  Rome,  where  I  found  the  people  wearing  any- 
thing resembling  the  old  national  dress  of  the 
country. 

In  all  the  other  sections  we  visited  poor  and  rich 
alike  wore  clothes  of  entirely  modern  style,  which 
varied  from  rags  .  and  tatters  to  the  best  of  cut 
and  material,  according  to  the  owner's  financial 
resources. 

If  I  had  not  been  hurried  for  time  I  might  have 
spent  a  day  in  this  region,  photographing  all  the 
picturesque  sights  which  presented  themselves.  Now 
it  was  a  girl  with  a  large  stone  pitcher  on  her  head. 


ITALY.  263 

talking  to  another  girl  lifting  water  from  an  old- 
fashioned  well — a  tableau  worthy  of  the  canvas  of 
a  painter.  Then  again  it  was  a  group  of  fifty  or 
more  women,  young  and  old,  of  all  ages,  in  pretty 
national  dress,  sitting  in  the  yard  of  a  farm  around 
a  pile  of  corn,  while  they  were  husking  the  ripe 
ears. 

Often  ,we  met  those  funny  Italian  carts  called 
"corricolo,"  which  were  once  the  exclusive  means 
of  popular  travel,  and  are  still  used  extensively  for 
moving  about  in  country  districts. 

They  consist  of  the  two-wheeled  cart  reduced  to 
its  simplest  expression :  two  high  wheels  and  an 
axle,  on  which  rest  a  flat  table  and  two  front  shafts, 
one  of  which  furnishes  sitting  accommodation  for 
the  driver.  The  outside  passengers  sit  all  around 
the  edges  of  the  table  board,  their  legs  dangling 
along  the  cart,  while  their  feet  almost  touch  the 
road.  In  their  midst  lie  ordinarily  one  or  more 
passengers  in  half-sleeping  postures.  This  happy- 
go-lucky,  overloaded  vehicle  is  drawn  by  a  dimin- 
utive mule  or  a  limping  horse,  sometimes  helped 
by  a  smaller  animal,  hopping  along  wearily  outside 
the  shaft,  while  the  driver  marks  the  intervals  dur- 
ing which  he  is  not  sleeping  by  continuously  plying 
the  whip  on  the  sad-looking  quadrupeds.  Some  of 
the  more  pretentious  vehicles  of  the  kind  have  cross- 
benches  for  sitting,  or  are  painted  and  ornamented 
in  bright  blue  and  red  colors,  and  the  harness  of 
the  animals  is  surmounted  with  a  very  useless  and 
cumbersome  ornament  of  nickel-plated  brass  that 
looks  very  much  like  the  handle  of  a  large-sized 
mandolin. 


264  ITALY. 

I  desired  to  photograph  one  of  these  carts  filled 
with  peasant  women,  which  was  driven  by  a  man 
with  a  broad-brimmed  slouch  hat.  Stopping  our 
machine,  I  jumped  toward  them  with  my  camera  in 
hand  and  tried  to  make  them  understand  as  well  as 
I  could  that  I  desired  them  to  stop.     To  my  utter 


and   tried   to   make   them    understand   that    I    desired    them 
%  to    stop." 

surprise  the  driver  yelled  out  in  English,  with  a 
decidedly  familiar  sounding  twang  in  his  nose: 

"All  right,  gov'nor!  Better  give  the  girls  some 
pennies,  too !" 

I  asked  this  unexpected  sample  of  Italian  driver- 
ship  how  and  where  he  had  learned  to  speak  Eng- 
lish. He  told  me  he  was  born  in  Canada,  had  lived 
in  upper  New  York  State  until  he  was  fifteen  years 
old,  and  had  now  lived  in  Italy  for  seventeen  years, 
where  he  was  running  an  emigrant  agency  in  a 
small  village. 


ITALY.  265 

We  had  scarcely  started  again  when  another  inci- 
dent occurred.  A  woman  was  walking  in  the  middle 
of  the  roadway,  driving  before  her  a  little  black 
pig,  guiding  it  now  and  then  by  touching  it  with  a 
twig.  As  soon  as  she  saw  our  approaching  car  she 
became  so  excited  that  she  started  furiously  beating 
the  animal,  which  immediately  dashed  away,  while 
she  ran  after  it,  yelling  and  shrieking  furiously.  She 
finally  got  hold  of  it  by  the  hind  leg  and  with  the 
other  hand  grabbed  its  liberal-sized  ear,  and  the 
duo,  squealing  and  yelling  in  discordant  notes, 
jumped  into  a  nearby  ditch.  The  woman  got  more 
angry  with  us  than  with  her  pig  when  she  found 
out  that  all  her  excitement  had  been  unnecessary, 
as  we  came  on  driving  very  slowly,  so  as  to  give 
her  more  than  ample  opportunity  to  take  care  of  her 
noisy  live  stock.  It  was  now  well-nigh  time  to 
eat  something,  so  I  selected  a  quiet  stretch  of  the 
road  where  we  could  lunch  in  rest  on  the  provisions 
we  had  taken  along  from  Tivoli.  However,  we  did 
not  delay  long,  and  were  soon  running  again  at 
top  speed  over  the  fine  road.  We  passed  through 
Ceprano  and  skirted  around  the  base  of  a  mountain- 
ous slope,  on  the  side  of  which  hung  above  us 
the  little  town  of  Arce. 

About  thirty  kilometers  farther  we  came  in  sight 
of  a  bald  mountain,  and  on  the  top  stood  the  mon- 
astery of  Monte  Cassino,  founded  in  the  sixth 
century.  Below  lay  the  ancient  town  of  Cassino, 
leaning  against  an  abrupt  rock,  surmounted  by  a 
gray-walled  castle.  Had  my  time  not  been  so  closely 
measured  I  would  have  taken  at  least  a  few  hours 
to  get  better  acquainted  with  this  quiet  and  attract- 


266  ITALY. 

ive  little  town.  But  on  we  must,  so  we  followed 
our  road  through  the  narrow  street,  which  at  one 
corner  shrunk  to  such  a  tight  passage  as  to  leave 
us  scarcely  room  to  drive  through. 

About  sixty  kilometers  farther  we  arrived  before 
the  ramparts  of  the  city  of  Capua.  There,  also,  a 
day  might  have  been  profitably  spent  in  visiting  the 
ruins  of  the  old  amphitheatre,  the  former  size  of 
which  about  equaled  that  of  the  Colosseum  of  Rome. 
Capua  has  a  very  old  and  stormy  history,  and 
archaeologists  have  found  many  beautiful  works  of 
art  in  this  neighborhood.  The  main  road  took  us 
in  and  out  the  ramparts  of  the  town  by  a  short  cut. 
From  here  on  the  country  became  very  flat. 

For  the  first  time  we  caught  a  distant  glimpse  of 
Vesuvius,  easily  recognized  by  its  peculiar  shape, 
surmounted  by  a  light  tuft  of  smoke.  At  this  point 
the  road  had  attained  unusual  width,  but  to  very 
short  advantage,  because  we  soon  reached  places 
that  were  in  very  bad  repair.  Driving  seemed  to 
be  carried  on  here  with  utter  disregard  of  the  rules 
of  the  road.  The  number  of  trucks,  carts,  wagons 
and  other  vehicles  going  and  coming  pell-mell  in- 
creased all  the  time.  In  some  pools  along  the  adja- 
cent fields  farmers  were  retting  hemp,  thus  pro- 
ducing a  characteristic  and  unpleasant  odor  over 
the  whole  neighborhood. 

Carts  loaded  topheavy  with  huge  bunches  of  hemp 
stalks  took  up  much  of  the  road,  especially  since 
the  available  width  of  the  latter  was  still  much 
restricted  by  dumps  of  rough-crushed  stone,  which 
had  been  distributed  without  method  or  order  under 
the  pretext  of  repairing  the  surface,  and  with  the 


ITALY. 


267 


evident   hope   that  sooner  or   later  they  would  be 
crushed  down  to  proper  size  by  passing  vehicles. 

1  found  out — many  days  too  late,  however — that 
there  is  a  better  and  more  interesting  road  from 
Capua  to  Naples  over  Caserta  and  Maddaloni.  But 
as  we  were  not  aware  of  this  at  the  proper  time  we 
had  to  plow  our  way  through  deep  ruts  and  thick 
mud,  alternating  with  sunken-in  cobblestones.  We 
joined  in  the  general  confusion  of  the  motley  crowd 


'Non  sona  Cristiani.' 


of  corricolos  and  vehicles  of  many  descriptions,  all 
overloaded  to  the  extreme  and  pulled  along  by  some 
lean  horses  that  were  kept  in  a  limping  trot  under 
the  inhumane  whipping  of  their  swarthy  drivers. 
**Xon  sona  Cristiani,"  says  the  Neapolitan,  in  well- 
meaning  excuse  of  his  inhumane  treatment  of  ill 
animals.  In  rapid  succession  we  passed  Teverola, 
Aversa,  Melito,  Secondigliano  and  Capo  de  China, 
all  noisy  and  thickly  populated  suburbs,  with  rows 


268  ITALY. 

of  badly  kept  houses  along  dirty  streets,  crowded 
with  loafing  men,  women  and  children.  All  this  at 
its  best  was  not  a  very  inviting  entrance  into  Naples. 

Driving  traffic  became  more  and  more  congested 
by  the  time  we  entered  the  gates  of  the  city,  and  the 
relentless  beating  of  the  poor  exhausted  horses  be- 
came shocking.  In  the  seeming  absence  of  any 
rules  of  the  road  everybody  did  as  he  pleased,  while 
trolley  cars  had  to  be  dodged  right  or  left,  accord- 
ing to  the  impossible  condition  of  the  slippery  road 
or  the  whim  of  the  savage-looking  cart  drivers. 

The  most  unexpected  sight  in  this  pandemonium 
was  a  man  with  an  elegant  gilt-buttoned  white  uni- 
form and  an  officer's  cap,  on  which  I  read  some- 
thing like  ^'Societa  per  la  Protezione  di  Animali." 

The  handsomely  dressed  officer  seemed  very 
much  satisfied  with  himself  and  quite  occupied  with 
stroking  his  pointed  mustache,  but  he  was  utterly 
oblivious  to  any  of  the  abuses  all  around  him. 

"Vedi  Napoli  e  poi  moiri !"  (See  Naples  and  then 
die!)  is  the  old  saying  of  the  Neapolitans,  who  in 
other  instances  also  show  some  of  the  bombastic 
boastfulness  in  which  their  Greek  ancestors  were 
so  classically  successful. 

I  thpught  that  if  I  were  to  drop  dead  at  the  sight 
of  Naples  it  would  only  be  on  account  of  the  utter 
disenchantment  produced  by  this  way  of  making  the 
acquaintance  of  this  city.  In  the  meantime  I  felt 
as  if  I  had  to  keep  very  much  alive  in  this  nerve- 
racking  turmoil. 

Following  the  slippery  pavement,  we  entered 
what  seemed  to  me  an  endless  straight  street,  with 
tall,  dirty  houses,  and  I  began  to  wonder  whether 


ITALY.  269 

in  all  Naples  there  was  really  a  single  decent  habita- 
tion. •  But  shortly  after  I  was  startled  to  see,  when 
following  another  street,  pretty  stores  and  gentle- 
manly looking  people  on  the  sidewalks.  I  certainly 
did  not  expect  to  find  here  a  city  spread  out  over  so 
large  a  surface,  and  it  took  us  several  miles  before 
we  reached  the  edge  of  a  beautiful  bay  at  the  other 
end  of  the  town.  There  along  the  Via  Partenope 
I  found  a  row  of  quietly  situated  hotels.     In  front 


"...     in  the  direction  of  the  eastern  shore  was  Mount  Vesuvius." 

•  was  the  Mediterranean,  with  the  isles  of  Capri  and 
Ischia  looming  up  in  the  distance,  while  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  eastern  shore  was  Mount  Vesuvius  with 
its  cloudy  cap  of  smoke. 

At  the  hotel  I  learned  that  we  were  ahead  of  the 
train  from  Rome,  and  that  my  family  could  not  be 
expected  to  arrive  for  another  hour.  This  gave  us 
time  to  send  the  car  to  a  nearby  garage,  where  1 
became  initiated  in  the  Neapolitan  way  of  doing 
business  by  bargaining  as  to  cost.    The  manager  in- 


270 


ITALY. 


tended  to  charge  nie  three  Hre  per  day,  but  as  soon 
as  1  told  him  that  1  would  look  for  other  quarters 
he  immediately  reduced  his  charges  one-third. 

I  had  a  similar  little  transaction  with  the  manager 
of  the  Hotel  Royale  des  Etrangers,  and  I  certainly 
would  never  have  resorted  to  this,  to  me,  repulsive 
bargaining  if  my   friends  had  not   forewarned  me 


Transferring    by    rowboat. 

that  in  Naples  it  was  a  custom  to  try  to  overcharge 
anybody  and  everybody,  always  with  the  expecta- 
tion of  obtaining  less  than  what  is  asked. 

I  must  say,  however,  that  otherwise  I  found  the 
hotel  excellent,  and  that  the  charges  upon  which 
we  finally  agreed  were  certainly  moderate  for  the 
good  treatment  we  received. 

Tt   was  almost  time   for   supper  when   the   hotel 


ITALY.  271 

omnibus  brought  my  wife  and  children  from  the 
railroad  station.  They  were  somewhat  astonished 
to  find  me  waiting  for  them,  and  started  a  long  tale 
of  woe  as  to  how  inconvenient,  clumsy  and  dirty  a 
train  feels  after  one  becomes  accustomed  to  travel- 
ing by  motor  limousine,  and  how  much  more  tired 
•they  felt  after  a  trip  in  railroad  cars,  where  they 
were  shut  up  for  many  hours,  not  to  speak  of  the 
getting  in  and  out  at  stations  and  the  importunate 
coachmen  and  porters  everywhere.  I  was  also  made 
acquainted  with  a  very  amusing  incident — how  the 
station  agent  wanted  to  charge  a  first-class  ticket 
■for  the  Bengalee  finch  of  the  ^children,  and  only 
desisted  from  counting  that  miniature  bird  as  a  first- 
class  passenger  after  they  smuggled  it  aboard 
wrapped  in  brown  paper. 

The  next  morning  I  was  informed  at  the  Ham- 
burg-American Line  that  they  had  not  received  any 
news  about  the  English  merchant  steamer  that  was 
now  overdue  several  days,  and  which  was  to  bring 
the  packing  box  for  my  car.  This  was  quite  a  dis- 
appointment, because  it  prevented  boxing  the  auto- 
mobile. But  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  wait  and 
hope. 

In  the  meantime  we  went  sightseeing,  and  so 
happened  to  take  a  drive  in  a  horse  carriage  to 
Posilipo  and  Pozzuoli.  But  what  a  difference  now ! 
The  garrulous  driver,  like  all  his  Neapolitan  breth- 
ren, did  not  stop  talking  during  the  whole  excursion, 
notwithstanding  our  repeated  entreaties  to  give  us 
some  rest. 

He  timed  his  principal  eruptions  of  polyglottic 
discourse  so  as  to  gush  them  down  upon  us  when- 


272  ITALY. 

ever  we  had  some  beautiful  landscape  to  admire. 
By  and  by  we  had  to  make  up  our  mind  that  we 
could  not  possibly  stop  him  unless  I  tried  physical 
violence,  so  we  had  to  submit  to  his  babble.  We 
found  that  to  have  the  sight  of  the  horses  and 
driver  as  the  principal  view  before  us  had  now  be- 
come unpleasant  to  us.  Even  the  clatter  of  the 
hoofs  now  seemed  a  disturbing  noise,  but  this  was 
nothing  to  the  feeling  of  pity  we  had  for  the  poor 
horses  whenever  they  had  to  do  hard  pulling  up 
hill,  which  prompted  us  frequently  to  get  out  and 
walk  alongside  the  carriage.  What  is  even  stranger, 
we  got  quite  uneasy  lest  the  carriage  should  collide 
with  others,  or  with  the  trolley  cars,  and  whenever 
it  was  running  fast  down  hill  it  seemed  to  be  beyond 
control.  We  .came  home  from  our  drive  with  a 
tired  feeling.  If  I  relate  such  minor  incidents  it  is 
merely  to  show  how  when  one  becomes  accustomed 
to  automobiling  the  older  ways  of  traveling  lose 
most  of  their  former  charms. 

It  was  now  September  24,  and  we  were  to  sail 
for  New  York  on  October  3.  This  left  us  about 
ten  days  for  visiting  the  places  of  interest  in  the 
neighborhood.  As  soon  as  the  box  should  arrive 
the  car  was  to  be  packed  without  further  delay,  and, 
with  Lewis  in  charge,  everything  was  to  be  sent 
ahead  by  the  first  available  steamer,  so  as  to  have 
it  in  New  York  before  our  arrival  there.  Under 
the  circumstances  I  did  not  try  to  utilize  our  auto- 
mobile for  sightseeing,  but  preferred  to  keep  it  at 
the  garage,  ready  for  instant  packing  and  shipping. 
Furthermore,  our  planned  excursions  included  a 
visit  of  unknown  duration  to  the  island  of  Capri, 


ITALY. 


^Z 


where  motoring  was  out  of  the  question.  Thus  it 
was  deemed  advisable  to  make  the  trip  to  Sorrento 
and  Amalfi  by  chimsy  "horsemobile"  and  return  by 
train  via  Pompeii,  while  Lewis  would  stay  in  Naples 
and  ship  the  car  as  soon  as  possible. 

It  was  a  fine  morning  when  we  boarded  the  little 
steamer  for  Capri.     Someone  had  wisely  warned  us 


"Along  a  steep  and  narrow  winding  road." 

not  to  take  along  anything  but  a  strict  minimum  of 
baggage,  because  transferring  by  rowboat  and  trav- 
eling by  carriage  becomes  very  complicated  if  any- 
thing but  small  parcels  is  carried;  even  then  they 
must  be  few  in  number. 


274  'ITALY. 

As  soon  as  we  were  out  of  the  bay  we  noticed 
that  the  Httle  choppy  waves  increased  in  size;  the 
wind  was  in  the  wrong  direction,  and  we  were  in- 
formed that  a  visit  to  the  ]jkie  Grotto  was  impos- 
sible that  day.  In  this  northern  breeze  landing  at 
the  little  wharf  at  Capri,  by  means  of  rowboats,  was 
far  from  being  easy  work.  As  soon  as  we  had 
landed  we  fled  from  the  noisy  peddlers  of  the  lower 
part  of  the  island ;  then  we  shook  off  the  bidding 
and  urging  carriage  drivers  by  engaging  the  one 
who  made  the  least  noise  and  had  the  best  outfit. 
We  told  him  to  drive  up  to  Anacapri.  Along  a  steep 
and  narrow  winding  road,  hewn  in  the  precipitous 
rock,  we  crept  higher  and  higher,  while  a  sublime 
panorama  unfolded  below  us.  By  the  time  we  had 
reached  the  Eden  Hotel  everything  was  so  attractive 
and  the  view  so  exquisitely  beautiful  that  instead 
of  simply  taking  lunch  at  the  hotel,  as  we  at  first 
intended,  we  concluded  to  stop  at  this  ideal  spot- 
until  the  next  afternoon.  Our  stay  was  made  still 
more  agreeable  by  the  kind  attentions  bestowed 
upon  us  by  the  ''cavaliere"  landlord.  He  was  a 
white-bearded  gentleman,  who  after  a  long  and  suc- 
cessful hotel-keeping  career  in  Rome  had  sold  his 
interests  there  and  had  retired  to  this  sort  of  villa- 
hotel,  dividing  his  attention  between  his  guests  and 
his  remarkable  vineyards. 

The  next  day  we  truly  regretted  to  leave  this 
place,  especially  because  the  continuous  northerly 
winds  rendered  access  to  the  Blue  Grotto  impos- 
sible and  we  had  to  forego  this  interesting  visit. 
But  our  time  was  closely  measured  if  we  desired 
to  utilize   the   few   remaining   days   before   sailing, 


ITALY. 


275 


The   landing. 


The    town    ot    C  apri. 


276  ITALY. 

to  make  our  intended  excursion  along  the  Gulf  of 
Salerno. 

So  we  took  the  afternoon  boat  to  Sorrento.  When 
we  arrived  there  our  steamer  was  surrounded  by 
little  rowboats,  of  which  the  rowers  were  repeatedly 
calling  out  the  names  of  the  respective  hotels  they 
represented,  while  one  of  them,  in  every  boat,  dis- 
played a  wooden  board  with  the  hotel's  name  painted 
on  it  in  large  letters.  We  selected  the  Tramontano 
'Hotel,  part  of  which  appears  to  have  been  at  one 
time  the  poet  Tasso's  home.  We  were  again  well 
pleased  with  our  quarters. 

,  The  beautiful  situation  of  Sorrento,  which  at- 
tracts many  visitors,  is  not  the  only  source  of  in- 
come to  the  inhabitants.  In  almost  every  street 
there  are  several  shops  where  inlaid  olive  wood 
work  is  manufactured,  and  this  local  industry  keeps 
many  people  busily  engaged.  These  wooden 
articles  can  be  purchased  here  at  remarkably  low 
prices,  and  buying  is  made  more  pleasant  because, 
unlike  as  in  Naples,  bargaining  or  bidding  down  is 
not  absolutely  necessary. 

As  an  offset  to  this  condition  of  affairs  the  public 
coachmen  seem  to  be,  if  anything,  worse  than  in 
Naples.  I  could  not  walk  in  the  streets  without 
being  immediately  followed  by  two  or  three  car- 
riages, the  drivers  standing  upright,  while  waving 
their  hands  wildly  to  emphasize  their  clamorous 
urgings ;  each  of  them  wanted  to  induce  me  to 
undertake  some  particular  excursion  of  his  own 
fancy. 

I  selected  a  man  with  a  pair  of  better  horses  and 
a  carriage  less   shaky  and  more  roomy  than  the 


ITALY. 


277 


'Our   steamer   was   surrounded  by   little  rowboats." 


View  from  Anacapri. 


278 


ITALY. 


others.  After  we  had  agreed  on  the  price  I  made 
the  hotel  porter  translate  to  the  driver  the  following 
rules : 

A^t.  I.  The  coachman  would  receive  his  so-called 
"macaroni"  only  provided  he  abstained  from  whip- 


Sorrento.  ■ 

ping  his  horses  and  from  talking  to  us  unless  we 
asked  him  questions. 

Art.  2.  If  he  broke  this  simple  rule  he  would 
forfeit  his  right  to  ''macaroni." 

Art.  3.  If  he  faithfully  carried  out  Article  i  I 
would  increase  his  "macaroni"  to  a  substantial  tip. 

He  readily  accepted  my  conditions,  little  knowing 
to  what  an  exceptional  test  of  self-control  all  this 
was  going  to  put  him.     Indeed,  we  were  scarcely 


ITALY. 


279 


gone  half  an  hour  when,  after  we  had  stopped  to 
admire  the  beautiful  view  from  the  heights,  the 
driver  started  using  his  horsewhip  and  at  the  same 
time  began  to  propose  a  bargain  drive  for  the  next 
day.  My  son  took  away  his  whip,  and  I,  putting 
my  finger  on  my  lips,  exclaimed:  "No  macaroni! 
Xo  macaroni!"  This  brought  him  instantly  back 
to  the  spirit  of  our  contract,  but  the  effort  seemed 
decidedly  too  much  for  him,  for,  looking  sullenly 


the   beautiful    view    from    the    heights. 


at  his  horse,  he  kept  mumbling  to  the  animal  when- 
ever the  inside  pressure  of  his  volubility  became  too 
strong. 

Our  perfect  road  was  suspended  above  the  blue 
sea  and  followed  the  sinuosities  of  an  abrupt  slope 
along  a  rocky  mountain.  At  some  places  we 
noticed '  caves  of  whimsical  shape,  lodged  at  odd 
corners  in  the  barren  cliff.  In  some  of  them  the 
slow  but  continued  action  of  dripping  water,  after 


28o 


ITALY. 


thousands  of  years,  had  produced  stalactites,  some 
of  which  were  as  large  as  the  size  of  a  man. 

On   account   of   greater   bareness   the   landscape 
looked  more  stern  than  that  of  the  Riviera  di  Le- 


"...     overlooking  the  landscape  below." 

vante,  but  otherwise  it  was  in  many  respects  very 
similar.  In  the  distance  we  came  across  the  little 
town  of  Positano,  which  seemed  to  hang  on  the 
sloping  shore.  The  whitewashed  houses  were  spread 
out  in  terraces  toward  the  sea,  and  the  flat,  dome- 


ITALY. 


281 


'Our  perfect  road  was  suspended  above  the  blue  sea.' 


'The   whitewashed  houses   were   spread   out  in  terraces.' 


282 


ITALY. 


shaped  roofs  introduced  to  its  a  new  style  of  archi- 
tecture, decidedly  Eastern  in  appearance,  suggest- 
ing the  former  influence  of  the  Saracens  in  the 
development  of  this  part  of  the  Mediterranean. 


"At   the  bottom  of  the  precipice  the   sea  forms  an  inlet." 


We  stopped  long  enough  at  a  little  hotel  called 
"Margherita"  to  partake  of  a  simple  yet  pleasant 
lunch.  As  a  dessert  to  our  meal  we  went  picking 
ripe  grape  bunches  in  the  pergola  overlooking  the 
landscape  below. 


ITALY.  283 

After  passing  Vettica,  Maggiore  and  Praiano, 
we  arrived  at  a  bridge  that  spans  a  chasm  between 
two  abrupt  cHffs.  'Way  below,  at  the  bottom  of 
the  precipice,  the  sea  forms  an  inlet,  and  this  snug 


"This  unusual  hamlet  is  called  Furore." 

shelter  had  been  utilized  by  some  fishermen,  who  on 
this  spot  had  built  their  little  houses  near  the  water's 
edge.  There  their  boats  were  resting  in  safety  on 
their  keels  on  the  little  sandy  beach  which  formed 
the  bottom  to  this  rocky  indentation.    This  unusual 


284  ITALY. 

hamlet  is  called  Furore,  and  as  far  as  I  could  make 
out  has  only  thirty-five  unhabitants ;  many  of  the 
houses  have  become  deserted,  since  most  of  their 
former  occupants  departed  to  seek  their  fortunes 
across  the  ocean. 

Shortly  afterward  we  beheld  Amalfi,  charmingly 
situated  near  a  cozy  harbor.  In  the  bright  sunshine, 
the  town  looked  a  vast  amphitheatre,  studded  with 
little  houses  of  glaring  white,  and  fastened,  some 
way  or  other,  against  the  steep  slope.  The  whole 
ensemble  is  interspersed  with  pergolas,  bits  of  green 
vineyards  and  one  or  two  churches  of  unusual  de- 
sign; but  the  striking  appearance  of  the  little  town 
is  heightened  by  the  mountainous  background  and 
the  curving  shore  line.  I  certainly  believed  that  in 
all  our  trip  through  Europe  we  had  seen  nothing  as 
pretty  as  this.  I  was  reminded  of  Longfellow's 
description : 

"This  is  an  enchanting  land! 
Round  the  headlands  far  away 
Sweeps  the  blue  Salernan  Bay 
With  its  sickle  of  white  sand." 

The  old  monastery,  now  doing  service  as  a  hotel, 
was  our  stopping  place.  This  long  white  building 
sits  perched  two  hundred  feet  high  in  the  hollow  of 
a  rock  which  rises  straight  up  from  the  sea.  The 
waiting  servants  of  the  hotel  took  our  bags  and 
bundles  and  preceded  us  up  the  long,  zigzag  stair- 
way. When  I  began  to  pay  for  our  drive  the  head 
porter  interfered  and  told  me  in  English  that  the 
driver  had  asked  him  to  propose  that  in  case  I  was 
satisfied  with  his  services  he  would  like  to  stay  with 
us  and  drive  us  the  next  day  as  well;  he  offered 


ITALY. 


'Shortly  afterward   we  beheld   Amalfi. 


"Round   the   headlands   far  away 
Sweeps  the  blue  Salernan  Bay." 


286  ITALY. 

reasonable  rates  and  at  the  same  time  made  the 
pledge  not  to  whip  his  horses  nor  to  babble.  I 
accepted  his  proposal  and  now  followed  our  little 
party  climbing  the  many  steps.  We  all  spurned  the 
offer  of  the  attendants  to  carry  us  up  on  a  kind  of 
sitting  contrivance  especially  constructed  for  this 
purpose. 

We  were  amply  repaid  for  this  little  exertion  as 
soon  as  we  stepped  upon  the  terrace.  There  was 
a  long  pergola  of  simple  whitewashed  columns, 
supporting  a  vine  arbor  of  which  the  graceful  inter- 
twinings  formed  a  shady  balcony,  from  which  we 
could  feast  our  eyes  on  an  extraordinarily  beautiful 
view. 

The  proprietor  of  the  Cappuccini  Hotel,  an  old 
gentleman  with  an  imposing  white  flowing  beard, 
greeted  us  most  affably;  before  we  had  talked  five 
minutes  I  drew  from  him  the  story  that  he,  too,  at 
one  time  had  been  a  lay  brother  among  the  monks 
of  this  very  monastery,  but  somehow,  when  at  last 
he  was  about  to  take  final  vows,  he  had  changed  his 
mind,  married,  lived  happily  afterward  and  had 
many  children  and  grandchildren.  At  some  time 
his  former  religious  order  had  some  trouble  with  the 
Government,  their  building  became  for  sale ;  he 
then  purchased  it,  and  ever  since  it  has  been  used  as" 
a  hotel. 

Soon  I  was  able  to  see  that  this  man,  although 
having  an  eye  for  business,  had  displayed  excellent 
taste  by  keeping  the  old  convent  as  much  as  possi- 
ble in  its  former  style,  making  only  such  minor 
changes  as  were  indispensable.  Our  sleeping  rooms 
were  small,  cleanly  whitewashed  monk  cells,  with 


ITALY. 


"This  long  white  building   sets   i)erciieii   two   iiundred   feet  high. 


we  could  feast  our  eyes  on  an  extraordinarily  beautiful  view. 


288  ITALY. 

bright  little  windows  opening  towards  the  same 
glorious  view  below. 

The  chapel,  the  dining-room  and  every  part  of  the 
old  convent  have  been  carefully  preserved  as  they 
existed  when,  instead  of  the  joyful  talk  of  the  tour- 
ist, these  halls  resounded  with  the  sombre  prayer 
of  the  barefooted  Capucines. 

In  the  reading  room,  while  I  was  looking  at  some 
autographs  which  Millais  and  other  well-known  peo- 
ple had  left  behind,  I  found  one  of  the  waiters  of  the 
hotel  busily  engaged  in  correcting  the  Italian  proofs 
of  a  poem  of  Longfellow  which  he  had  translated. 
I  was  told  that  in  the  early  spring  this  place  is 
overrun  with  tourists  to  such  an  extent  that  it  is 
then  almost  impossible  to  find  accommodation,  un- 
less rooms  have  been  engaged  long  beforehand. 
During  that  busy  period  most  passing  visitors  have 
to  be  satisfied  with  a  hurried  meal  and  a  hasty  visit 
to  the  premises. 

In  September  Amalfi,  like  all  other  places  of 
Italy,  is  very  little  visited  by  foreigners,  who  imagine 
that  it  is  too  hot  then — a  very  mistaken  idea.  I  was 
told  also  that  in  winter  and  early  spring  the  weather 
is  often  cold  and  very  uncertain,  even  in  the  Gulf 
of  Salerno,  which  has  a  much  milder  climate  than 
other  parts  of  Italy. 

If  we  ever  regretted  that  our  time  was  too  limited 
for  a  longer  stay,  it  was  certainly  at  Amalfi.  A 
guide  who  spoke  tolerably  good  English  escorted 
us  all  through  the  little  town,  and  we  finished  our 
walk  with  a  visit  to  one  of  the  numerous  little 
paper  mills  along  the  small  stream  which  runs 
through  the  narrow  mill  valley.     Although  I  have 


ITALY. 


Women    at    Amalfi. 


In    Amalfi. 


290  ITALY. 

visited  many  paper  mills,  until  that  time  I  had 
never  been  able  to  see  a  plant  where  paper  w^s 
made  by  the  very  primitive  methods  still  in  use 
here  and  which,  I  had  supposed,  had  entirely  dis- 
appeared because  of  the  competition  of  better 
modern  processes.  Unusually  cheap  labor  and  inex- 
pensive rags  obtained  from  the  immediate  neighbor- 
hood and  an  incredibly  rudimentary  plant  still 
allowed  the  modest  and  thrifty  owners  to  clear  a 
small  profit  on  goods  sold  to  the  local  trade,  thereby 


"     .      .      hung   up    to    dry   in   skeins." 

saving   all   expenses   of   transportation   or   middle- 
men. 

We  also  had  a  chance  to  see  a  small  installation 
where  macaroni  was  prepared.  France  and  Italy 
had  rendered  us  somewhat  accustomed  to  other 
people's  elastic  conceptions  of  cleanliness.  I  ex- 
pected that  after  this  visit  no  one  of  our  party  would 
ever  again  eat  Italian  macaroni.  The  approaches  to 
the  place,  a  dark,  shabby  hallway,  were  very  unin- 
viting indeed.  But  as  soon  as  we  entered  the  room 
where  the  material  was  manufactured  I  was  pleas- 
antly surprised  to  see  that,  although  the  place  was 
very  bare,  everything  look  well-kept  and  clean. 


ITALY.  291 

Four  barefooted  men,  naked  to  the  waist  and 
wearing-  nothing  but  a  short  pair  of  rolled-up  trou- 
sers, were  sitting  in  a  row  upon  the  end  of  a  long, 
flexible,  horizontal,  wooden  pole,  which  could  swing 
on  both  sides  in  quarter-circle  fashion.  This  formed 
a  sort  of  lever,  attached,  on  the  opposite  end,  to  a 
fixed  pivot,  while  the  fulcrum  was  represented  by  a 
hammer-like  piece  of  bronze,  intended  to  knead  the 
warm  dough  contained  in  a  large  mortar-shaped 
stone.  The  dough  itself  is  made  from  a  special  kind 
of  wheat,  very  rich  in  nutritious  gluten.  This  wheat 
flour  is  mixed  with  some  hot  water,  so  as  to  make 
a  hard  paste.  The  men  on  the  pole  kept  the  latter 
jerking  up  and  down  by  a  dancing  motion  of  the 
body,  while  at  the  same  time  they  made  the  lever 
advance  by  pressing  the  floor  with  the  points  of 
their  feet.  The  poor  fellows  had  to  stick  to  these 
dancing  gymnastics  all  day  long. 

In  another  part  of  the  room  was  the  macaroni 
press,  a  rather  simple  contrivance,  where  the  dough, 
kneaded  as  described  abov6,  was  placed  in  a  metal- 
He  cylinder  provided  with  a  perforated  bottom.  The 
cylinder  was  kept  hot  by  means  of  a  little  oil  lamp. 
A  long  pole  lever,  swung  by  two  or  three  men, 
turned  a  large  screw  which  pressed  the  paste 
through  numerous  perforations  of  the  cylinder's 
bottom  plate  into  as  many  little  ropes  of  macaroni, 
while  another  man  kept  cooling  it  rapidly  by  agitat- 
ing a  hand  fan.  Whenever  the  little  ropes  were 
long  enough  the  bunch  was  cut  ofif  and  hung  up 
to  dry,  in  skeins,  on  horizontal  wooden  sticks. 

The  whole  manufacture  is  extremely  simple  and 
provides  the  population  with  a  very  nutritious  and 


292  ITALY. 

palatable  food.  Macaroni  has  the  immense  advan- 
tage over  meat  that  it  is  very  much  cheaper  and 
that  in  dry  condition  it  can  be  kept  forever  without 
deterioration.  No  wonder  then  that  this  popular 
food  should  have  acquired  a  national  importance. 
In  one  of  the  grocery  shops  I  saw  an  inferior  grade 
of  macaroni  retailed  at  the  unusually  low  price  of 
seven  centisimi  per  kilo,  or  about  three-fifths  of  a 
cent  per  pound.  I  knew  that,  just  as  in  the  paper 
mill,  a  small  tip  was  expected  from  me  for  the  work- 
men. Never  in  my  life  have  I  seen  a  dollar,  in  the 
shape  of  five  lire,  or  in  any  other  form,  produce 
such  a  delightful  look  of  intense  gratitude.  The 
faces  of  these  simple  men  beamed  forth  an  expres- 
sion as  if  some  unusual  happiness  had  befallen  them ; 
and  yet  I  figured  out  that,  by  the  time  they  would 
have  divided  this  tip  among  themselves,  each  one 
would  scarcely  receive  the  value  of  six  cents. 

The  poverty  of  the  whole  population  in  this  part 
of  Italy  is  apparent  everywhere.  The  active  adver- 
tising methods  of  steamship  companies,  helped  by 
the  tangible  evidence  of  prosperous  returning  emi- 
grants, who  have  been  successful  in  their  own  way, 
has  induced  an  ever-increasing  exodus  towards 
North  and  South  America,  with  the  result  of  a 
steady  depopulation  of  many  towns.  I  was  told  that 
during  late  years  the  population  of  Amalfi,  as  well 
as  that  of  other  small  coast  towns,  had  dwindled 
down  to  below  seventy  per  cent,  of  what  it  formerly 
was.  A  large  number  of  the  able-bodied  and  enter- 
prising younger  men  sail  for  America,  leaving  be- 
hind them  the  old,  the  sickly,  the  women  and  the 
children :  some  of  those  who  remain  at  home  follow 


ITALY.  293 

later,  after  steady  work  has  been  secured  by  their 
predecessors  and  after  some  money  has  been 
saved  up. 

Quite  a  number  of  ItaHan  emigrants  return 
periodically  to  their  former  homes ;  they  are  able  to 
save  enough  money  to  pay  their  passage  both  ways 
and  spend  the  winter  in  their  native  land.  There 
they  astonish  their  poor  relations  and  friends  by 
the  possession  of  a  couple  of  hundred  dollars;  an 
enormous  sum  for  them  especially  if  counted  in 
lire.  They  have  been  able  to  save  this  little  capital 
by  their  Spartan-like  frugality,  at  wages  which  the 
average  spendthrift  Irish  or  American  workman 
would  deem  totally  insufficient  for  his  wants.  I 
was  quite  astonished  to  detect  that  in  Italian  coast 
towns  the  younger  set  is  more  apt  to  be  able  to 
speak  a  few  words  of  English  than  any  other 
foreign  language,  although  the  Anglo-Saxon  tongue 
is  more  difficult  for  them  than  either  French  or 
Spanish.  It  has  often  been  wrongly  stated  by 
superficial  writers  and  shallow  observers  that  the 
Italian  is  lazy  and  indolent.  This  is  an  immense 
error.  I  know  of  no  class  of  workingmen  in  any 
other  country  who  are  more  active,  if  proper  oppor- 
tunity and  inducement  is  given  to  them  to  show 
their  qualities.  Their  main  shortcoming  is  that,  like 
most  European  workmen,  they  lack  initiative  and 
are  ever  waiting  for  a  leader  to  direct  them.  Any 
policeman  in  New  York  will  tell  you  that  a  begging 
Italian  is  as  scarce  as  a  white  crow  and  that  Italians 
are  seldom  accused  of  stealing;  their  main  offenses 
against  the  law  arise  from  lack  of  self-control,  pas- 
sion, quarrels  among  themselves,  jealousy,  hatred, 


294  ITALY. 

or  uncontrollable  anger  which  sometimes  leads  them 
to  brawls  and  crime. 

In  the  States  all  of  them,  notwithstanding  their 
very  limited  knowledge  of  English,  manage  to  ob- 
tain steady  employment  and  save  money.  Compare 
this  same  Italian,  under  the  stimulating  influence  of 
proper  opportunities,  with  the  loafing,  shiftless,  in- 
dividual of  southern  Italy  blamed  for  his  "dolce  far 
niente."  In  their  home  country  they  are  inactive, 
because  there  they  live  in  conditions  desperately 
depressing  and  have  no  chance  to  work.  As  to  their 
women,  I  have  seen  them  strenuously  busy  at 
any  hard  and  unpleasant  job.  I  have  seen  them 
start  their,  day's  work  at  five  in  the  morning,  in 
energetic  activity,  scrubbing  and  washing  their 
laundry,  while  venting  their  happy  cheerfulness  by 
lusty  singing.  I  have  seen  them  in  New  York,  as 
well  as  in  Italy,  carrying  heavy  burdens,  at  the  same 
time  taking  care  of  their  many  children.  I  have 
seen  them  in  their  own  country  working  as  hod" 
carriers  and  climbing  steep  wooden  ladders  to  help 
their  husbands  or  brothers,  who  acted  as  brick- 
layers. I  have  found  these  women,  old  and  young, 
always  courageous  and  ever  ready  to  show  their 
happy  temperament  at  the  first  cheerful  word 
addressed  to  them.  The  only  trouble  with  these 
people  is  that  they  lack  enterprise  in  the  right 
direction;  furthermore  they  are  not  able  to  avail 
themselves  of  their  natural  opportunities  of  their 
own  soil,  much  of  which  remains  idle  under  incom- 
petent ownership.  In  that  country  there  seems  to 
be  an  absence  of  captains  of  industry  who  can  show 
the  masses  how  to  utilize  their  latent  energies  and 


ITALY.  295 

how  to  avail  themselves  of  the  natural  resources  of 
their  native  land.  Yet  I  must  say  that  during  the 
last  fifteen  years  Italy  has  made  rapid  strides  in  the 
development  of  new  enterprises.  The  very  bad 
financial  condition  of  former  years  has  considerably 
improved.  The  impulse  given  to  industry  by  the 
electrical  development  of  water  power  is  beginning 
to  counteract  the  lack  of  coal  that  always  proved  a 
great  hindrance  to  the  profitable  running  of  large 
industrial  plants.  The  Government  might  aid  con- 
siderably by  modifying  certain  laws  which  are  de- 
cidedly not  in  accordance  with  a  proper  system 
of  economics,  and  by  relieving  industry  and  enter- 
prise from  the  main  burden  of  taxation,  while  unim- 
proved land  is  insufficiently  taxed.  The  census  of  a 
few  years  ago  has  shown  that,  for  a  population  of 
about  30,000,000  inhabitants,  there  are  only  1,500 
persons  in  all  Italy  whose  possessions,  per  individ- 
ual, amount  to  $200,000  or  more ;  this  probably 
explains  why  many  enterprises  in  Italy  have  been 
carried  on  with  foreign  money  and  foreign  inter- 
vention. 

I  should  not  be  astonished  if,  some  day,  Italy 
manages  to  again  direct  her  powerful  latent  energies 
into  a  more  modern  channel  and  give  the  world 
a  new  example  of  awakened  prosperity. 

She  might  thus  return  to  that  advanced  position 
among  nations  which  many  of  the  Italian  states 
acquired  a  few  centuries  ago.  At  that  time  some 
of  her  brilliant  sons  had  begun  to  rouse  Christendom 
from  the  narcotic  condition  into  which  it  had  been 
drugged  by  a  narrow-minded,  bigoted  and  intolerant 
Church. 


296  ITALY. 

That  commercialism  may  stimulate  the  higher 
development  of  mankind  has  been  abundantly 
proved  by  the  history  of  this  very  section  of  Italy, 
Was  it  not  here,  along  the  Gulf  of  Salerno,  that  a 
trading  and  seafaring  people  came  into  steady  inter- 
course with  neighboring  nations  that  had  been  ostra- 
cised and  anathematized  by  the  Church  of  Rome? 
A  closer  acquaintance  with  these  scorned  pagans 
made  the  trading  Christians  realize  that  these  people 
were  men  of  the  same  flesh  and  blood  as  them- 
selves. If  the  Mohammedans  had  shortcomings, 
they  proved  to  be  not  any  worse  than  their  own. 
Even  these  hated  Saracens  compelled  recognition 
from  those  who  learned  to  know  them  personally 
and  who  had  to  acknowledge  their  higher  develop- 
ment in  art,  science  and  handicraft.  Nay,  even  the 
least  intellectual  of  these  Christian  traders  could 
not  help  envying  or  admiring  the  material  prosperity 
of  their  transmarine  neighbors ;  a  prosperity  which 
their  religious  views  forbade  them  to  ascribe  to  the 
God  of  Mahomet,  and  which  they  therefore  were 
more  willing  to  attribute  to  their  superior  knowl- 
edge. Little  wonder,  then,  that  they  tried  to 
emulate  these  pagans  by  copying  their  very  methods. 
This  people  of  traders  of  the  Gulf  of  Salerno,  even 
against  their  own  will,  became  liberal  and  progres- 
sive. The  time  soon  arrived  when  Mussulman  or 
Jew,  whose  life  was  not  safe  in  other  parts  of 
Europe  excepting  the  Moorish  Iberian  Peninsula, 
could  live  and  trade  in  perfect  security  in  the  coast 
towns  around  the  Gulf  of  Salerno. 

They  went  further ;  they  asked  these  very  pagans 
to  teach  them  their  science  and  instruct  them  in 


ITALY. 


297 


their  arts.  Did  they  not  found,  in  this  manner,  that 
famous  Medical  School  of  Salerno?  At  that  time 
it  was  probably  the  only  institution  in  Europe  where 
science  and  the  practice  of  medicine  were  taught 
otherwise  than  by  prayers  or  miraculous  relics.  Yes, 
I  may  except  some  Moorish  medical  schools  in 
Spain;  I  may  except  also  some  centres  of  learning 
in  the  south  of  France,  where  they  had  begun  to 


"     .     .     at  the   entrance  of  our  model  little   hotel." 

adopt  the  methods  of  their  progressive  dark-skinned 
neighbors  whom  they  too  had  induced  to  settle  in 
their  country  and  become  teachers  in  their  uni- 
versities. Why  should  history  not  repeat  itself? 
Why  should  it  be  impossible,  in  this  modern  era,  that 
these  humble,  yet  enterprising  emigrants,  who  leave 
for  foreign  shores,  should,  at  some  future  time, 
influence  the  destiny  of  their  native  country,  to 
whose  memory  they  are  tied  by  sentimental  bonds 


298 


ITALY. 


with    an    intensity    that    is    one    of    their    national 
characteristics  ? 

Someone  had  advised  me  while  we  were  in 
Amalfi  not  to  omit  a  visit  to  nearby  Ravello ;  so 
we  conckided  to  take  lunch  at  the  latter  place.  Our 
driver,  who  had  been  patiently  waiting  for  us,  took 


"At   Ravello." 

US  over  a  steeply  curving  road,  along  wooded  hills, 
partially  terraced  into  vineyards  and  orange  groves. 
A  slow  climb  of  about  two  hours  brought  us  into 
Ravello,  near  a  little  ''piazza,"  whence  we  walked 
towards  the  Hotel  Bellevue,  through  a  narrow  and 
steep  passageway. 


ITALY. 


299 


Although  very  dilapidated  in  general  appearance, 
the  little  town  everywhere  presented  reminders  of 
its  former  importance.  Even  at  the  entrance  of  our 
modest  little  hotel  the  gate  was  ornamented  with 
two  old  marble  columns  taken  from  nearby  ruins 
of  some  Saracenic  castle  of  bygone  days.    We  were 


rums    c)i    some    .Saracenic    castle. 


received  by  the  landlady,  a  young  and  intelligent- 
looking  woman,  who  excused  herself,  in  fairly  good 
English,  for  the  upturned  condition  of  her  house- 
hold. This  was  the  season  when  visitors  very 
seldom  came,  and  she  had  to  utilize  it  for  making 
some  much-needed  alteration  and  improvements  to 
the  house.    She  added  that  the  work  ought  to  have 


300  ITALY. 

been  finished  long  ago,  but  for  the  impossibiHty  of 
finding  the  necessary  workmen.  Here,  also,  almost 
all  able-bodied  inhabitants  had  left  for  the  States. 

Soon  we  were  sitting  on  a  little  terrace  before  a 
table  covered  with  the  finest  spotless  linen.  The 
clean  dining"  outfit,  of  a  most  approved  modern  Eng- 


"     .     .     reminders  of  its  former   importance." 

lish  pattern,  was  something  which  we  never  would 
have  expected  in  this  isolated  corner  of  the  world. 
But  we  were  told  that  many  visiting  Americans  and 
Britishers  patronized  the  place  in  the  spring,  which 
is  the  busy  season. 

From  where  we  sat  eating  our  meal  we  could 
contemplate  the  whole  eastern  part  of  the  Gulf  of 


ITALY.  301 

Salerno,  spread  out  before  us  like  a  magic  land- 
scape. 

The  adjacent  garden,  with  its  wealth  of  fruit- 
laden  grape  vines  clustering  around  the  heavy 
columns  of  a  spacious  pergola,  was  part  of  the  old 
ruined  castle.  Near  the  crumbling  parapets  of  a 
tower  stood  a  little  marble  table.  It  had  been  im- 
provised into  domestic  usefulness  by  posing  a  slab 
of  white  marble  on  four  legs  made  of  the  twisted 
remnants  of  some  antique  Moorish  columns;  on 
closer  examination  I  found  a  chiseled  inscription  on 
the  table,  which  denoted  its  origin  as  the  cover  of 
an  early  Christian  grave. 

Everything  around  us  was  so  harmoniously  peace- 
ful and  the  landscape  so  serene  with  the  freshness 
of  nature!  Yet,  wherever  the  eye  wandered  ruins 
evoked  visions  of  a  fugitive  splendor,  which  had 
been  in  all  its  glory  during  ages  long  gone  by,  when 
human  ambitions  and  human  might  tried  to  rule 
this  enchanting  corner  of  the  world.  Under  such 
impressions  I  had  lost  all  notions  of  time  and  1 
was  awakened  from  my  dreams  of  mediaevalism  by 
our  matter-of-fact  guide,  who  came  to  find  me  to 
announce  that  if  we  did  not  start  soon  our  carriage 
could  hardly  reach  Cava  before  dark. 

But  we  still  took  time  to  have  a  look  at  the  inter- 
esting process  of  wine  making,  in  the  arched  caves 
of  the  dilapidated  castle,  where  the  hotel  proprietor 
was  supervising  the  work.  We  also  paid  a  rapid 
visit  to  some  other  old  buildings  in  the  town,  and 
when  we  came  back  to  our  carriage  we  found  that 
the  courteous  hotel  proprietor  had  provided  us  with 
a  magnificent  supply  of  assorted  grapes. 


302  ITALY. 

It  .certainly  was  time  now  to  drive  on.  Down  we 
went  t^e  steep  windings  until,  we  again  arrived  on 
the  main  road  along  the  rocky  seashore.  The 
scenery  was  almost  a  repetition  of  that  of  the  day 
before.  In  rapid  succession  we  passed  two  small 
towns,  Minori  and  Maiori. 

Occasionally  we  saw  some  well-preserved  speci- 
mens of  the  old  forts  or  watch  towers,  situated  at 
intervals   on  the  water  edge   all  along  this   coast. 


"      .      .      watch    towers    situated    at    intervals    on    the    water    edge." 

These  defenses  were  intended  to  repulse  the  attack- 
ing enemy,  as  well  as  to  serve  as  a  safeguard  against 
the  bold  corsairs  who  at  one  time  infested  these 
waters. 

We  drove  through  Vietri  and  very  little  farther 
before  us  lay  Salerno  in  dignified  repose,  as  if  con- 
scious of  its  former  importance  as  a  centre  of  learn- 
ing and  culture.  Much  would  we  have  liked  to 
become  better  acquainted  with  this  ancient  place, 
but  even  a  visit  to  Paestum,  with  its  Greek  temple, 


ITALY. 


303 


'.     .     .     a  safeguard  against  the  bold  corsairs. 


we  could  contemplate  the  whole  eastern  part  of  the  Gulf. 


304         ^  ITALY. 

had  to  be  omitted  if  we  decided  to  see  Pompeii 
and  return  in  time  for  our  steamer. 

A  rather  dusty  road  brought  us  to  Cava  just 
before  dark,  and  we  stopped  for  the  night  at  another 
good  hostelry,  the  Hotel  de  Londres.  We  might 
have  dismissed  our  driver  at  Vietri  and  have  taken 
the  train  from  there  to  Pompeii,  but  this  would  have 
compelled  us  to  sleep  at  the  latter  place,  and  from 
the  general  information  I  had  obtained  hotel  accom- 
modations there  were  of  a  questionable  nature. 

I  was  very  well  aware  that  from  now  on  the 
landscape  would  be  very  monotonous  and  that  the 
dusty  road  runs  through  thickly  settled  districts, 
with  shabby  villages  and  similar  towns.  We  de- 
cided, however,  that  it  might  prove  interesting  to 
avail  ourselves  further  of  the  carriage,  so  as  to  ob- 
serve more  closely  the  sociological  aspect  of  the 
towns  surrounding  Vesuvius. 

The  next  morning,  when  we  thus  drove  away 
from  Cava,  we  entered  upon  a  broad  and  dusty  high- 
way, bordered  by  big  poplar  trees,  the  latter  acting 
as  supports  for  irregular  and  clustering  grape  vines. 
A  flat  and  cultivated  plain  was  enclosed,  in  the  far 
distance,  by  a  range  of  mountains  on  the  right, 
while  on  the  left  the  famous  volcano  stood  clearly 
detached. 

Now  and  then  we  traversed  a  small  but  populous 
town,  like  Pagani  and  Angri,  with  narrow  and 
crowded  streets  without  sidewalks,  where  the  pas- 
sers-by had  to  flatten  themselves  against  the  walls 
to  allow  our  vehicle  to  pass.  About  noon  we  reached 
Pompeii,  which  presented  a  shabby  and  dusty 
appearance. 


ITALY. 


305 


i^.mV^^ 


a  weird  procession. 


had    embedded    the    houses,    crushing    some,    filling    in    the 
others." 


3o6  ITALY. 

The  fine,  sand-like  ashes  from  the  last  eruption 
became  more  and  more  evident  everywhere.  We 
drove  on  to  Boscotrecasse^  so  as  to  be  near  the  scene 
of  the  devastation  caused  by  the  lava  streams  of  last 
spring.  On  our  way  we  met  a  funeral  procession 
and  its  usual  escort  of  white-capped  and  masked 
"penitentes,"  clad  in  white  robes  and  carrying  long, 


as  if  the   whole   region    had   been   filled   in   by   a   layer  of  gas 
coke." 


lighted  wax  candles — a  weird  procession  for  who- 
ever sees  it  for  the  first  time. 

We  had  now  reached  a  place  where  the  street  had 
been  shut  ofif  by  a  hardened  black  stream  of  lava, 
the  latter  looking  very  much  as  if  the  whole  region 
had  been  filled  in  by  a  thick  layer  of  gas  coke. 
This  black  lava  has  very  much  the  appearance  of 
big  fragments  of  coke.  Similar  to  the  latter  sub- 
stance, lava  is  porous,  yet  heavy  and  sonorous,  and 
it  shows  every  evidence  of  a  former  half-molten 
condition. 


ITALY. 


307 


In  some  places  the  black  mass  had  embedded  the 
houses,  crushing  some,  filling  in  the  others.  The 
abandoned  buildings,  with  their  cracked  walls, 
looked  very  much  as  if  they  had  remained  in  that 


the    black 


ntirely    filled    a    wide    trench." 


condition  for  many  centuries,  and  yet  all  the  dam- 
age alx>ve  described  had  happened  only  a  few 
months  before  our  visit. 

Some  of  the  wrecked  buildings  were  pompously 


3o8  ITALY. 

called  "palazzo."  Although  made  of  stone,  brick  and 
mortar,  they  were  of  the  same  shabby  and  squalid 
pattern  that  prevails  everywhere  in  this  locality.  I 
noticed  some  broken-off  pine  trees  that  had  been 
carried  by  the  advancing  mass ;  some  of  them  were 
charred,  others  were  almost  intact  and  green. 

Elsewhere  the  black  lava  stream  had  entirely  filled 
a  wide  trench,  which  had  been  the  road  of  an  elec- 


Pompeii. 

trie  tram  line.  I  was  told  that  an  approaching  car 
had  thus  been  shut  off  by  the  advancing  molten 
mass,  while  the  frightened  motorman  and  pas- 
sengers had  to  run  to  save  their  lives.  Several  men 
and  children  seem  to  have  found  in  this  catastrophe 
a  new  way  of  earning  a  livelihood,  by  acting  as 
guides,  or  by  selling  souvenirs  of  the  eruption ; 
among  the  latter  I  noticed  sulphur-coated  lava, 
volcanic  dust  put  up  in  glass  bottles,  molten  coins 


ITALY.  300 

or  other  metallic  objects  which  showed  the  influence 
of  the  hot  volcanic  mass.  About  that  time  some 
rain  drops  began  to  fall,  and  I  observed  that  in 
many  a  place  the  surface  of  the  lava  gave  off  steam. 
By  trying  to  remove  the  upper  layer  of  loose  pieces 
I  became  aware  that  the  mass  underneath  was  hot, 
indeed  very  hot  in  some  places,  where,  by  some 
further  effort,  I  succeeded  in  prying  out  deeper- 
laying  fragments,  the  temperature  of  which  was 
such  that  I  could  not  hold  them  in  my  hand  without 
risk  of  burning  my  fingers.  This  gave  me  a  power- 
ful impression  of  stern  reality.  I  was  told  that 
in  several  places  the  layer  of  lava  was  fifty  feet 
deep.  At  that  rate  it  will  take  a  long  time  before 
the  mass  is  entirely  cooled  down. 

And  yet  the  inhabitants  seemed  to  concern  them- 
selves very  little  about  all  this.  They  had  hastily 
used  the  liberal  supply  of  volcanic  ashes  to  dump 
them  over  the  hardened  lava  stream  and  had  thus 
contrived  to  make  a  new  crossroad  over  the  former 
highway,  which  had  become  obliterated  and  buried 
under  the  thick  and  hardened  black  mass.  As  if 
nothing  had  happened,  on  this  dreary  scene  of 
desolation  coachmen  and  drivers  of  all  kinds  were 
moving  about,  whipping  their  horses  in  the  same 
old  heartless  way.  I  was  watching  one  of  the 
houses  that  had  been  half-embedded  by  lava  and 
found  several  workmen  busily  engaged  in  restoring 
the  cracked  walls  and  otherwise  adapting  it  again 
for  occupation.  Just  like  some  of  their  neighbors, 
who  had  earlier  completed  their  job,  they  wanted 
to  live  again  in  the  same  house,  precisely  as  in  the 
past,   surrounded   by   the   warning   sight   of   black 


310  ITALY.- 

lava  everywhere  and  Mount  Vesuvius  near  by 
smoking  steadily.  And  yet  these  people  did  only 
what  everyone  in  this  world  tries  to  do;  i.  e.,  they 
clung  tenaciously  to  their  earthly  possessions.  In 
this  instance  they  could  not  sell,  and  for  them  it 
meant  either  losing  the  bulk  of  their  small  property 
or  trying  to  accommodate  themselves  to  a  hard  and 
insecure  lot.  It  is  true  that,  although  the  last  erup- 
tion had  caused  much  material  damage  by  destroy- 
ing wide  tracts  of  land  and  many  buildings,  there 
had  been  little  or  no  loss  of  life.  In  this  instance 
the  army  had  done  excellent  work  by  forcibly  driv- 
ing out  all  the  inhabitants  from  the  threatened  sec- 
tions before  the  eruption  imperilled  their  lives. 

There  had  been  an  inclined  railroad,  which  led  to 
near  walking  distance  of  the  crater,  but  all  this  was 
now  destroyed ;  on  this  account  approach  to  the 
summit  was  possible  only  by  a  long  and  weary 
tramp  over  endless  stretches  of  volcanic  mud. 

A  friend  of  mine,  a  scientist,  who  had  been  in- 
duced to  make  the  ascension  since  the  last  eruption, 
warned  me  not  to  attempt  it.  He  told  me  that 
the  sight  of  the  crater  was  very  disappointing  in 
proportion  to  the  trying  ordeal  through  which  he 
had  to  pass. 

We  drove  back  to  Pompeii,  where  we  took  lunch 
in  a  not  too  well-kept  restaurant,  although  it  was 
supposed  to  be  the  best  the  place  afforded.  During 
our  meal  we  had  to  listen,  as  everywhere  in  or 
around  Naples,  to  our  daily  quota  of  ''Santa  Luzzia" 
and  other  Neapolitan  songs  and  mandolin  accom- 
paniments. Always  the  same,  yet  always  pleasant 
to  hear  when  the  tawny  performers  intone  their 


ITALY.  311 

stanzas  and  accentuate  the  long-drawn  cadences  by 
their  appeaHng  gestures,  as  if  it  were  the  very  first 
time  in  their  Hves  they  were  singing  this  sentimental 
song. 

After  lunch  we  engaged  an  English-speaking 
guide  who  took  us  through  the  ruins.  Never  shall 
I  forget  the  thoughts  evoked  by  this  visit.  While 
walking  through  those  deserted  streets,  once  the 
lively  scene  of  the  daily  occupations  of  human  beings 
like  ourselves,  who  had  preceded  us  by  twenty 
centuries  in  the  fulfillment  of  their  destiny,  I  was 
emphatically  reminded  how  short  and  insignificant 
are  our  earthly  ambitions.  These  ruined  houses, 
these  shops,  these  palaces  and  temples,  with  every- 
where a  palpable  reminder  of  the  daily  routine  life 
of  the  departed,  inhabitants,  clearly  show  that  these 
people  lived  their  little  lives  with  about  the  same 
preoccupations,  the  same  pleasures,  the  same  suffer- 
ings and  the  same  ambitions  as  we  little  ants  of 
our  own  age.  Their  language  may  have  been 
nearer  to  pure  Latin,  their  dress,  their  laws  and 
their  customs  somewhat  unlike  ours,  but  after  all, 
was  there  really  much  difference  between  them  and 
us  as  we  exist  to-day?  The  resemblance  increases 
further  if  we  compare  the  condition  of  these  van- 
ished people  of  dead  Pompeii  with  that  of  the  aver- 
age inhabitant  of  Naples  or  the  neighborhood,  just 
as  we  find  it  in  our  present  age.  After  so  many 
centuries  the  ways  of  living,  the  aspirations  in  life 
of  the  modern  Neapolitans  seem  to  have  varied  as 
little  as  their  vices. 

The  squalor  of  the  poorer  houses  of  Pompeii,  in 
contrast  with  the  artistic  refinement  of  the  palaces 


312  ITALY. 

of  the  wealthy  patricians,  or  the  insolent  splendor 
displayed  by  the  temples  of  worship  for  their 
heathen  gods,  finds  a  counterpart  in  our  own  days 
that  can  be  seen  by  any  thoughtful  observer  who 
wanders  through  modern  Naples  or  surrounding 
towns. 

If  the  average  Neapolitan  of  today  no  longer 
offers  sacrifices  to  Jupiter  or  Mercurius,  under  the 
ancient  names,  he  has  reared  just  as  many  costly  edi- 
fices in  which  he  hangs  his  ex-votos  before  miracu- 
lous statues  and  relics.  In  these  modern  temples, 
with  new  names,  his  unchanged  superstitious  nature 
now  invokes  the  protection  of  a  larger  number  of 
saints  than  there  were  gods  in  the  mythology  of 
antiquity. 

The  bestial  pastimes  of  yore,  and  those  feasts 
where  man  killed  man  or  where  slave  was  given  to 
feed  wild  animals,  have  been  abolished  by  better 
civic  laws,  and  the  latter  have  proved  stronger  in- 
struments for  repression  of  inhuman  acts  than  the 
most  fervid  religious  appeal  to  morals.  But  that 
cruelty  is  still  rampant  in  the  hearts  of  the  ignorant 
masses  is  shown  by  the  brutal  behavior  of  teamsters 
or  drivers  towards  animals,  their  fellow-creatures. 
Moreover,  their  churches,  raised  in  the  name  of  the 
One  whose  command  was  love,  pity  and  peace,  are 
ornamented  with  paintings  in  which  blood,  suffer- 
ing, torture  and  carnage  seem  to  be  favorite  sub- 
jects. Their  very  cruelty  of  sentiment  makes  them 
imagine  a  God  whose  ideas  of  revenge  and  punish- 
ment include  the  most  fiendishly  refined  atrocities 
under  the  form  of  the  tortures  of  hell. 

During  that  drive  through  the  populated  quarters 


ITALY.  313 

of  Torre- Annunziata,  Torre-del-Greco  and  Portici 
I  saw  dense  rows  of  houses  for  the  poor.  Dirty  and 
ill-kept,  they  alternated  with  half-hidden  entrances 
to  luxurious  abodes  for  the  richer  class,  which 
allowed  a  glance  into  their  inner  elegance  of  statues, 
columns,  porticos  and  fine  gardens.  Then,  once  in 
a  while,  a  church  or  chapel  with  the  doors  ajar, 
showed  a  glimpse  of  lighted  candles,  silver,  gold 
and  statuary.  All  this  looked  to  me  very  much 
indeed  like  a  living  Pompeii  which  modern  trim- 
mings had  been  unable  to  change  much  from  its 
antique  prototype.  Electric  lamps  here  and  there, 
or  some  trolley  cars,  or  the  presence  of  a  few  loco- 
motives, telephones  or  automobiles,  do  not  consti- 
tute civilization — neither  in  Naples  nor  in  any  other 
part  of  the  globe.  The  fact  that  some  individuals 
may  be  able  to  chisel  a  fine  piece  of  sculpture  or 
use  their  artistic  talent  for  making  a  remarkable 
painting,  or  contrive  to  create  some  sense-soothing 
music,  or  arrange  elegantly  some  pretty  sounding 
rhymes,  may  be  an  indication  of  aesthetic  tempera- 
ment and  artistic  skill,  but  it  does  not  necessarily 
imply  the  possession  of  that  impulse  which  should 
guide  us  into  higher  life  toward  a  more  exalted 
development  of  our  race.  If  the  strong  feeling  of 
duty  and  equity  is  absent,  if  the  true  discrimination 
between  what  is  just  and  unjust  is  lacking,  if  the 
ardent  desire  for  truth  has  not  entered  the  soul, 
then  indeed  will  mere  artistic  culture  continue  to  be 
nothing  more  than  an  epicurean  gratification  of  the 
senses.  It  will  not  succeed  any  better  to  elevate 
mankind  than  joy-inspiring  dinners,  nor  than 
alcoholic  beverages,  which  also,  in  their  own  way, 


314  ITALV. 

may  serve  to  excite  the  imagination.  True,  such  a 
one-sided  art  culture  may  have  some  advantage 
over  mere  material  stimulants  through  the  fact 
that,  more  epicurean  in  its  refinement,  it  is  less 
likely  to  cause  physical  injury  to  the  body.  One- 
sided culture  of  this  kind  is,  I  believe,  the  main 
cause  which  brought  older  civilizations  to  discom- 
fiture; it  may  become  the  possible  reason  why  our 
civilization  in  turn  will  fail  should  we  continue  to 
lose  sight  of  these  fundamental  principles. 

Even  the  intellectual  pursuits  of  science,  which, 
considerably  more  than  the  culture  of  fine  arts,  have 
contributed  to  the  happiness,  betterment  and  wel- 
fare of  mankind,  will  not  succeed  in  their  divine 
mission,  will  not  produce  a  better  and  higher  race, 
unless  in  our  search  for  knowledge  we  find  initia- 
tion into  more  elevated  humane  conceptions  and  an 
inducement  for  leading  a  higher  life.  Let  us  hope, 
for  the  destiny  of  our  race,  that  science  may  not 
be  considered  solely  as  a  useful  handmaid  to  provide 
for  our  daily  material  wants,  but  may  strive  to  fulfill 
a  higher  mission  and  clear  away  the  fog  of  ignorant 
conceit  that  clouds  the  sublime  teachings  of  Truth. 
The  religion  of  science  is  the  worship  of  Truth,  and 
the  worship  of  Truth  is  the  worship  of  God.  Any 
deviation  from  this  impulse  will  retard  the  advance- 
ment of  mankind  toward  the  goal  of  greatest  good. 

What  I  take  the  liberty  to  write  here  is  meant  not 
alone  for  the  inhabitants  of  Naples,  of  Italy,  or  of 
Europe,  but  applies  alike  to  all  nations  and  races 
of  the  world,  however  intense  may  be  their  national 
pride,  whatever  degree  of  material  prosperity  they 
may  have  attained,  or  however  numerous  or  costly 


ITALY.  315 

and  splendid  may  be  their  temples  of  religious 
worship. 

It  was  near  evening  when  we  again  reached 
Naples.  To  my  great  disappointment  I  found  that 
Lewis  was  still  waiting  for  our  long-delayed  pack- 
ing box.  The  very  obliging  manager  of  the  freight 
department  of  the  steamship  line  promised  me  that 
my  uncrated  car  would  be  accepted  on  the  steamer, 
if  I  was  willing  to  forego  all  claims  for  possible 
damage.  I  was  very  glad  to  consent  to  this  very 
accommodating  offer  and  made  preparations  accord- 
ingly. 

It  had  come  to  my  knowledge  that  some  Ameri- 
can automobilists  who  had  preceded  me  had  been 
compelled  to  forfeit  the  money  they  had  deposited  at 
the  custom  house  for  the  mere  reason  that  they  had 
been  unable  to  complete  the  formalities  before  the 
ship  left  the  docks.  As  the  steamer  arrives  from 
Genoa  and  remains  only  a  few  hours  in  the  port 
of  Naples,  I  foresaw  the  possibility  of  meeting  with 
the  same  disappointment.  Therefore,  I  concluded 
to  obtain  some  experience  and,  escorted  by  a 
custom-house  broker,  I  went  from  one  office  to  an- 
other, rehearsing  the  different  formalities,  so  that 
my  chauffeur  might  be  properly  instructed  on  the 
subject. 

There  was  still  one  full  day  left  before  sailing, 
and,  as  the  weather  was  beautiful  and  the  sea  ex- 
ceptionally calm,  I  concluded  to  utilize  this  last 
chance  of  visiting  the  Blue  Grotto,  which  had  been 
inaccessible  on  our  former  trip  to  Capri.  I  made 
the  excursion  in  company  with  my  son.  My  wife 
and  little  daughter  were  obliged  to  utilize  the  day 


3i6  ITALY. 

for  shopping  on  account  of  the  non-arrival  of  our 
trunks  from  England. 

While  the  little  Capri  steamer  was  at  anchor  we 
were  again  entertained  by  the  lusty  native  swim- 
mers who  hover  around  any  steamer  that  carries 
foreign  tourists.     Like  a  lot  of  human   porpoises 


"Never    do   they   miss   a    coin." 

they  dive  and  fight  and  struggle  whenever  a  piece 
of  money  is  thrown  into  the  water.  Never  do  they 
miss  a  coin,  even  if  several  are  thrown  at  the  same 
time.  Sometimes  they  remain  under  water  so  long 
as  to  make  one  believe  that  the  coin  is  lost,  only 
to  appear  on  the  surface  a  few  moments  later 
triumphantly  showing  the  penny  in  their  hands, 
then  storing  it  with  others  in  their  mouth  until 
bulging  cheeks  make  it  almost  impossible  for  them 


ITALY.  317 

to  articulate  their  words.  And  yet  they  keep  on 
yelHng  and  yclHng :  "Moussiou  !  Moussiou  !  .  .  . 
tro'  nion'  in  t'  wot'  .  .  .  Moussiou!  monee 
.     .     .     monee     .     .     .     monee     .     .     ." 

By  the  time  the  httle  steamer  Hfted  anchor 
it  was  crowded  with  excursionists.  Again  some 
mandoHn  players  and  singers  started  their  "Santa 
Luzzia."  In  the  intervals  during  which  they  were 
not  singing  ''Adio,  bella  Napoli,"  smooth-tongued 
peddlers,  who  spoke  English  as  if  they  had  learned 
it  near  Bleecker  street,  tried  to  persuade  the  pas- 
sengers to  purchase  coral  necklaces  or  woodwork  at 
prices  almost  quadruple  that  for  which  they  could 
be  bought  at  Naples  or  Sorrento. 

Arriving  near  Capri,  instead  of  landing  at  the 
Piccolini  Marina,  as  the  last  time,  when  the  weather 
was  so  rough,  the  steamer  took  us  directly  to  the 
Blue  Grotto.  There  numerous  little  rowboats  were 
already  waiting  for  us.  Each  boat  accommodated 
two  passengers.  We  were  rowed  toward  the  en- 
trance of  the  cave,  which  is  almost  entirely  hidden 
by  the  water.  This  leaves  only  a  narrow  opening 
through  which  the  boat  has  to  be  slid.  We  had 
to  lie  down  flat  while  the  boatman  gave  a  vigorous 
pull  with  the  oars,  and  by  the  time  we  sat  up  again 
we  were  inside  the  dark  cave,  surrounded  by  the 
brilliantly  luminous  water  of  a  phosphorescent 
azure  blue.  Every  ripple  seemed  to  glow  in  vivid 
color  and  whenever  the  oars  struck  the  surface  they 
produced  two  luminous  streaks.  This  remarkable 
optical  effect  is  produced  by  the  outside  sunlight 
that,  before  it  meets  the  eye,  traverses  this  unusually 
clear  and  blue  sea  water.     The  boats  traveled  all 


3i8 


ITALY. 


in  a  procession  around  the  cave,  which  seemed  to 
be  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long  and  nearly 
as  wide.  In  some  parts  the  rocky  vault  attains  a 
height  of  thirty  feet.  After  we  had  become  accus- 
tomed to  the  semi-obscurity  we  began  to  distinguish 


which  dragged  them  with  their  bow  tilted  upward." 


every  detail  of  the  rocky  cants  and  corners,  which 
now  showed  a  dim,  pale  greenish-blue  color. 

A  boy,  who  seems  to  find  here  a  way  of  making 
a  living,  stood  on  a  rock  ready  to  dive  for  any  coins 
that  might  be  thrown  in  the  water ;  unlike  the  divers 
in  the  bay,  he  spurned  anything  but  silver. 


ITALY.  319 

The  whole  scene  would  have  been  infinitely  more 
imposing  had  the  grotto  not  been  crowded  by  the 
noisy  visitors.  The  boatmen  increased  the  general 
din  by  ever  reminding  the  passengers  of  their  ex- 
pected tips  and  yelling,  "Moussiou  .  .  .  mee- 
sther  .  .  .  macaroni."  If  I  ever  again  go  to 
Capri  T  shall  certainly  repeat  this  visit  to  the  grotto, 
but  I  intend  to  go  there  when  no  one  else  is  in  sight, 
and  if  I  cannot  find  a  mute  boatman  I  will  take  the 
precaution  to  gag  him  first. 

The  steamer  brought  us  back  to  the  Piccolino 
Marina,  followed  by  a  procession  of  rowboats,  some 
of  them  attached  to  the  stern  by  ropes  which 
dragged  them  with  their  bows  tilted  upward  over 
the  foaming  wake  of  the  ship.  We  had  time  until 
four  in  the  afternoon  for  taking  lunch  and  strolling 
along  the  beach  into  the  town  of  Capri. 

When  the  steamer  brought  us  back  to  Naples  it 
was  quite  dark.  The  air  was  calm  and  Vesuvius 
sent  its  slender  column  of  smoke  almost  perpendicu- 
larly towards  the  sky.  Since  the  last  fearful  erup- 
tion the  volcano  had  become  so  well-behaved  as  to 
emit  very  meagre  puffs  of  smoke  and  it  seemed 
as  if  the  dread  mountain  was  at  last  becoming  ex- 
tinct. That  night,  however,  everybody  noticed  that 
the  smoke  assumed  a  light  reddish  glare  as  if  it  was 
reflecting  the  glow  of  some  fire  below.  This  light 
effect  became  more  and  more  apparent  and  by  the 
time  we  reached  the  hotel  it  had  developed  to  such 
an  extent  that  several  people  came  out  to.  observe 
the  phenomenon.  I  began  to  feel  glad  that  before 
leaving  Naples  we  had  at  least  an  opportunity  to 
see,  even  if  in  a  minor  degree,  what  a  nocturnal 


320  ITALY. 

eruption  looks  like.  The  dinner  bell  had  twice 
sounded  in  the  hotel,  but  no  one  heeded  it  and  all 
remained  outside  looking  eagerly  towards  Vesuvius. 
Just  then  over  the  very  top  of  the  crater  appeared 
a  bright,  glowing  mass  of  molten  lava  and  we  ex- 
pected to  see  it  run  down/ when  suddenly  it  affected 
a  rounded  shape  and — there  was  the  full  moon, 
rising  in  all  brilliancy  exactly  over  the  top  of  the 
volcano.    Of  course  everybody  had  a  hearty  laugh. 


".    .    an  employee  of  the  steamship  line  came  rowing  toward  me    .    ." 

The  next  day  we  patiently  awaited  the  arrival 
of  our  steamer  and  in  the  meantime  took  the  motor 
car,  loaded  with  some  antique  Pompeian  vases  and 
other  similar  purchases,  to  the  custom  house.  After 
more  than  an  hour's  trouble  and  hesitation,  inter- 
mingled, by  an  eruption  of  voluble  Italian  talk  ac- 
companied by  unavoidable  gesticulations,  I  finally 
succeeded  in  having  my  triptyque  signed  by  the 
custom-house   officers   so   that   I   could   mail   it   to 


ITALY.  321 

Paris  and  reclaim  my  money  deposited  with  the 
Touring.  Club  de  France. 

In  the  meantime  the  steamer  had  arrived.  All 
that  was  now  needed  was  to  run  the  car  aboard  the 
lighter  and  empty  the  gasoline  tank.  But  just  at 
that  very  moment  an  employee  of  the  steamer  line 
came  rowing  toward  me  to  announce  the  unwel- 
come news  that  the  captain  of  the  ship  could  not 
possibly  take  my  car  aboard.  He  had  not  been 
advised  of  the  matter  in  Genoa  and  his  steamer  was 
filled  with  merchandise  and  emigrants  to  such  an 
extent  that  much  other  freight  had  to  be  left  on 
the  quay.  After  vainly  trying  to  make  him  change 
his  mind  I  became  convinced  that  what  I  asked 
from  him  was  practically  impossible,  so  I  had  to 
resign  myself  to  circumstances  and  leave  the  car 
behind  with  Lewis,  with  the  hope  that  the  next 
steamer  would  take  them. 

At  the  same  instant  I  received  the  news  that  the 
overdue  English  steamer  with  my  crate  box  had; 
just  arrived  in  port.  But  my  real  troubles  only  be- 
gan when  I  tried  to  persuade  the  custom  officials  to 
re-accept  my  triptyque  and  let  the  car  return  to  the 
garage.  These  fossilized  bureaucrats,  in  whom  all 
elasticity  of  intellect  had  long  ago  been  destroyed 
by  an  everlasting  routine,  became  quite  excited  and 
worked  themselves  up  to  anxious  perspiration  at 
the  thought  of  how  a  car  could  exist  in  the  country 
after  officially  it  had  left  the  country.  I  finally  suc- 
ceeded in  making  them  understand  that  they  had 
nothing  to  lose  as  long  as  I  trusted  them  with  my 
triptyque,  of  which  they  would  only  have  to  change 
the  date  when  the  car  was  ready  for  shipment. 


322  ITALY. 

Three  days  after  we  arrived  in  New  York,  Lewis, 
who  had  followed  by  a  steamer  of  another  line, 
joined  us  and  told  me  that  he  had  left  the  car  prop- 
erly packed  on  the  lighter  in  Naples,  to  be  shipped  a 
few  days  later.  My  triptyque  I  sent  to  Paris  and  a 
few  weeks  later  I  received  my  check.  But  my 
troubles  were  not  at  an  end.  I  read  a  cable  that  a 
strike  had  started  in  Naples  and  ships  were  unable 
to  load  or  unload  merchandise.  My  car  was  kept 
back  that  way  for  nearly  six  weeks.  Finally  I  read 
another  cable  that  the  docks  were  afire.  As  I  was 
insured  against  such  occurrences,  this  excluded  for 
me  any  possibility  of  material  loss.  Upon  inquiry  I 
learned  that  my  car  had  been  shipped  a  few  hours 
before  the  fire  had  started.  It  finally  arrived  in  New 
York,  looking  none  the  better  for  having  been  ex- 
posed so  many  weeks  on  that  lighter  in  Naples  to  the 
damaging  action  of  rain  and  sun.  I  furthermore 
had  a  bill  presented  to  me  for  demurrage,  aside  of 
freight  and  other  charges,  for  1 50  lire,  against  which 
I  protested.  In  justice  to  the  Hamburg- American 
Line  I  must  say  that  they  refunded  me  this  sum. 

As  to  the  customs  formalities  in  New  York,  I  was 
helped  by  a  competent  and  hustling  broker.  Al- 
though everybody  at  the  custom  house  was  cour- 
teous, active  and  businesslike,  the  incredible  amount 
of  red  tape  I  had  to  go  through  was  fairly  stag- 
gering. This  experience  was  in  humiliating  con- 
trast to  the  simple  and  easy  formalities  deemed 
sufficient  in  all  European  countries  through  which  I 
passed  with  my  car. 


PRACTICAL     SUGGESTIONS     FOR 

MOTOR    TOURING    IN 

EUROPE. 

SELECTION    OF    A    MOTOR    CAR. 

The  choice  of  a  motor  car  is  influenced  by  so 
many  conditions  and  circumstances  that  it  would  be 
presumptuous  to  try  to  estabHsh  hard  and  fast  rules. 
Therefore  I  will  merely  attempt  to  condense  such 
suggestions  as  I  think  I  am  able  to  offer,  after 
my  personal  experience,  which  extends  from  the 
early  times  of  the  sport  of  automobiling  until  the 
present  day.  The  fact  that  repeated  vacation  trips 
in  Europe,  previous  to  my  1906  tour,  allowed  me 
to  observe  other  motorists  and  compare  my  own 
experience  with  that  of  my  numerous  acquaintances 
in  several  countries  has  helped  me  considerably  to 
arrive  at  some  general  conclusions  on  the  subject. 

STYLE   OF    BODY. 

I  have  classed  below,  in  their  order  of  merit,  what 
I  believe  to  be  the  most  desirable  styles  of  bodies 
for  long  distance  touring. 

I.  Full  limousine.  Large,  one-piece  front  win- 
dow ;  side  windows  and  read  window.  All  windows 
as  large  as  possible  and  made  so  that  they  can 
be  easily  opened  or  closed.  Construction  such  as 
will  admit  the  carrying  of  sufficient  baggage.  No 
seats  turned  backward.  Upholstery,  dark-shaded 
leather;  no  cloth.  Electric  lights  optional.  Attach- 
ment for  books,  guides  or  maps ;  easily  accessible. 
If  possible,  a  locker  for  refreshments  and  one  for 
towels  and  toilet  articles.  Hat  net  and  collapsible 
table. 

323 


324  PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS. 

2.  Landaulet,  with  any  or  all  of  the  above  speci- 
fications. 

3.  Semi-limousine.  Other  specifications  as  for 
No.  I. 

4.  Tonneau,  with  canopy  top  and  movable  front 
plate  glass. 

5.  Tonneau,  with  collapsible  hood  and  movable 
front  plate  glass. 

6.  Runabout,  with  collapsible  hood. 

As  to  wheel  base,  springs,  suspension  and  similar 
matters,  it  is  very  difficult  to  generalize,  because  they 
depend  very  much  on  the  individual  characteristics 
of  each  car. 

MOTIVE   POWER. 

Thus  far  electric  automobiles  have  not  proved 
suitable  for  long-sustained  tours.  Some  steam  cars 
have  shown  beyond  doubt  that  even  tours  of  long 
duration  can  be  successfully  undertaken  with  them ; 
but  the  popular  verdict  has  been  overwhelmingly  in 
favor  of  internal  combustion  or  gasoline  motors. 
The  latter  continue  to  outnumber  very  considerably 
the  existing  steam  cars. 

The  main  question  is  to  decide  whether  a  motor 
with  two,  four,  six  or  even  eight  cylinders  should 
be  preferred.  Cars  with  six  and  eight  cylinders 
have  been  made  lately,  and  run  undoubtedly 
smoother,  but  are  more  expensive  than  those  pos- 
sessing a  smaller  number  of  cylinders. 

It  is  objected  to  six-cylinder  cars  that  they  con- 
tain a  large  number  of  parts  and  that  they  require 
the  attention  of  a  careful  driver.  Whether  this 
is  really  so  time  and  more  experience  will  show. 

Four-cylinder  cars  have  given  good  satisfaction, 


PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS.  325 

and  some  manufacturers  have  been  able  to  make 
excellent  two  and  three  cylinder  cars.  As  to  large 
one-cylinder  cars,  they  are  fast  disappearing  from 
the  market.  On  the  other  hand,  there  exist  several 
very  successful  light  one-cylinder  runabouts. 

A  much-mooted  question  is  whether  ''jump  spark" 
or  "make  and  break  spark"  is  to  be  preferred.  I 
have  no  hesitation  in  stating  that  both  systems  of 
ignition  are  good,  if  properly  carried  out,  and  that 
I  know  of  excellent  motors  very  successfully  using 
one  or  the  other  method. 

Automobile  constructors  seem  to  have  been  rather 
backward  in  knowledge  as  to  the  electrical  equip- 
ment of  their  machines,  and  on  this  account  have 
often  misapplied  a  system  which,  in  proper  hands, 
would  never  have  failed  to  give  satisfaction.  How- 
ever, it  is  more  important  that  the  electrical  devices 
should  be  self-generating,  so  as  to  make  them  inde- 
pendent of  batteries,  always  unreliable  and  capri- 
cious. 

For  this  purpose  the  motor  should  be  provided 
with  a  magneto,  or  better,  a  good  dynamo;  the 
latter  in  conjunction  with  a  small  storage  battery  to 
regulate  the  flow  of  electric  current  and  to  furnish 
current  when  the  dynamo  is  not  running. 

In  long  tours,  especially  through  unknown  dis- 
tricts, batteries  alone  may  cause  more  hesitation  and 
delay  than  tires  or  any  other  part  of  the  machinery. 

SIZE    OF    MOTOR. 

A  car  should  be  driven  by  a  motor  strong  enough 
to  pull  it  up  any  hill  without  any  hesitation, , even 
when  loaded  to  excess. 

Experience  has  proved  that  a  good  four-cvHnder 


326  PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS. 

motor  rated  at  an  "honest"  24  horse  power  and 
not  geared  too  high  for  speed  will  enable  one  to 
accomplish  this  result  with  a  good-sized  touring 
car  weighing,  in  running  order  and  everything  in- 
cluded, as  much  as  3,000  pounds.  Even  with  seven 
passengers  added  to  this  dead  weight  there  ought 
to  be  no  trouble  in  going,  on  low  gear,  over  any 
steep  grades  as  found  on  some  highways.  Such  a 
motor  may  still  be  able  to  run  as  fast  as  25  to  28 
miles  on  good  level  roads. 

A  motor  car  as  described  above  must  have 
cylinder  dimensions  of  at  least  434  inches  bore  and 
4^  inches  stroke.  Heavier  cars  will  require  corre- 
spondingly higher  powered  motors. 

Touring  cars  running  at  higher  speeds  than  25 
to  30  miles  an  hour  are  unsafe.  We  have  not  yet 
reached  the  point  where  tires  or  roads  are  suffi- 
ciently perfect  to  allow  us  to  exceed  these  limits 
without  imminent  danger  to  passengers  as  well  as 
to  other  people  on  the  highway. 

Small  light  cars,  carrying  a  light  hood,  may  have 
a  correspondingly  smaller  motor,  and  several  makes 
of  automobiles  do  irreproachable  work  at  remark- 
able speed  with  engines  not  over  8,  12  or  16  horse 
power.  A  simple  but  safe  rule  for  ascertaining  the 
required  motive  power  is  to  count  one  horse  power 
for  every  100  pounds  of  empty  car. 

BRAKES. 

Excellent  and  powerful  brakes,  of  easy  inspec- 
tion and  simple  adjustment,  are  more  indispensable 
thama  large-sized  motor.  The  brakes  must  be  such 
as  to  hold  the  car  backward  as  well  as  forward  on 
the  strongest  inclines. 


PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS.  327 

Of  these  brakes  there  should  be  a  double  set, 
working  independently,  so  that  if  one  fails  the  other 
will  do  the  work.  The  construction  of  the  brakes 
must  be  of  such  a  simple  nature  as  to  allow  easy 
replacement  of  any  worn-out  parts. 

The  brakes  should  be  supplemented  by  a  "sprag" 
or  any  similar  device  which  can  hold  the  car  from 
running  backward,  even  if  all  the  brakes  are  out 
of  service.     (See  page  9.) 

STEERING   WHEEL. 

This  device  must  be  so  constructed  as  to  preclude 
any  possibility  of  failing.  Some  cars,  foreign  as 
well  as  American,  have  been  built  with  a  reckless 
disregard  of  this  essential  condition.  In  some  cases 
the  snapping  of  a  small  pin  or  the  loss  of  a  similar 
accessory  part  has  put  the  whole  steering  contriv- 
ance out  of  operation.  It  is  unnecessary  to  com- 
ment on  the  perils  involved  in  such  defective  con- 
struction. Ample  storage  capacity  for  gasoline  and 
lubricants,  as  well  as  roomy  boxes  for  tools  and 
spare  parts,  is  very  desirable.  Everything  pertain- 
ing to  the  machinery  must  be  easily  accessible  for 
inspection  or  repairs. 

TIRES. 

I  shall  not  try  to  recommend  one  make  of  tires 
in  favor  of  another.  Generally  speaking,  I  might 
mention  that  lack  of  veracity  has  encouraged  many 
tire  manufacturers  in  unwarranted  boastfulness  and 
glaring  misstatements.  They  have  tried  to  hide 
their  shortcomings  by  expensive  and  noisy  advertise- 
ments, instead  of  giving  more  money  and  attention 
to  the  manufacture  of  their  products. 

Not  very  long  ago  many  tire  manufacturers  tried 


328  PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS. 

to  save  in  cost  by  using  "loaded"  rubber  composi- 
tions. Many  are  using  better  rubber  now,  but  seem 
to  be  incompetent  in  the  general  construction  of  the 
tire.  They  either  use  inferior  woven  material  or 
fail  to  utilize  it  properly.  I  have  had  some  tires 
made  with  the  best  of  materials  which  gave  way  at 
the  rims  long  before  the  rubber  began  to  show  any 
wear,  simply  because  the  edges  were  faultily  con- 
structed. The  older  French  tire  manufacturers  have 
acquired  more  experience  in  this  new  industry.  This 
is  perhaps  the  main  reason  why  their  products  give 
better  satisfaction. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  valves  of  French  tires,  as 
well  as  of  other  European  makes,  are  needlessly 
complicated,  and  for  this  reason  I  have  always  re- 
moved them  from  their  inner  tubes  and  replaced 
them  with  simpler  and  more  serviceable  American 
stems. 

The  size  of  tires  should  be  sufficiently  liberal  to 
correspond  to  the  load  of  the  car.  Many  variations 
from  this  rule  have  been  permitted.  The  cata- 
logues of  tire  manufacturers  indicate  the  sizes  that 
should  be  used  for  a  given  weight.  Their  tables 
should  be  consulted  before  purchasing  a  car,  other- 
wise there  will  be  no  end  of  trouble  from  collaps- 
ing tires.  It  is  a  wonder  how  little  tire  trouble  is 
encountered  when  the  tires  are  sufficiently  big,  suffi- 
ciently new  and  when  automobiles  are  not  driven 
too  fast.  I  went  all  through  Italy  with  an  over- 
loaded car  without  the  slightest  puncture  or  other 
trouble  from  the  tires,  although  the  roads  were 
sometimes  rather  bad. 

A  regrettable  mistake  has  been  made  by  most 


PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS.  329 

constructors  of  modern  cars  in  adopting  for  their 
front  wheels  tires  somewhat  narrower  than  for  the 
rear  ones.  This  construction  may  be  excellent  for 
racing  cars,  because  it  allows  easier  steering.  It 
may  also  save  a  few  dollars  of  the  initial  investment 
for  tires.  On  the  other  hand,  it  compels  the  tourist 
to  carry  along  two  different  sets  of  spare  tires, 
but,  what  is  worse,  it  excludes  the  possibility  of 
using  worn-out  tires  on  the  front  wheels. 

A  rear  tire  showing  considerable  wear  or  one 
having  undergone  a  serious  repair  should  never 
again  be  used  on  the  rear  wheels  unless  with  the 
expectation  of  collapsing  tires  at  the  most  inoppor- 
tune moment,  as,  for  instance,  when  an  extra  pas- 
senger is  taken  in,  or  when  going  up  grade,  or 
when  the  car  is  running  very  fast  and  a  bursting 
tire  may  mean  death  to  the  motorists. 

With  four  wheels  of  the  same  diameter  and  the 
same  rims  an  old  rear  tire  which  has  become  worth- 
less for  such  use  may  still  render  service  of  an 
astonishingly  long  duration  if  transferred  to  the 
lighter  loaded  front  wheels.  Adopting  the  latter 
practice,  it  will  be  found  at  the  end  of  the  season 
that  fewer  tire  troubles  may  be  combined  with  con- 
siderable economy  for  renewals. 

During  the  last  two  years  a  valuable  innovation 
has  been  introduced  by  the  construction  of  remov- 
able rims,  which  enables  one  to  replace  a  defective 
tire  in  two  or  three  minutes  by  a  new  tire  carried 
along  ready  inflated  on  a  full-sized  rim.  The  rapid 
unscrewing  of  four  bolts  is  all  that  is  required  to 
make  the  renewal.  The  system  has  shown  emi- 
nently practical  results  in  races  of  long  duration.    I 


330  PRACTICAL    SUGGESTIONS. 

have  seen  it  successfully  used  for  touring  purposes, 
and  it  seems  likely  that  all  modern  automobilists 
will  avail  themselves  of  this  great  simplification  as 
soon  as  the  invention  is  better  known. 

ANTI-SKIDDING    DEVICES. 

Side  slip  or  "skidding"  is  one  of  the  most  danger- 
ous happenings  for  a  motorist.  Therefore,  the  rear 
tires  should  be  provided  with  some  device  to  prevent 
this.  Tires  armored  with  riveted  leather  covers 
are  employed  by  many.  I  abandoned  their  use  after 
I  found  that  they  did  not  wear  well  on  sandy  coun- 
try roads,  and  that  they  may  produce  "skidding" 
in  dry  weather  when  striking  the  tracks  of  street 
railways  or  very  smooth  pavements.  I  prefer  to 
use  "Weed's  chain  grips,"  because  they  take  almost 
no  room  and  can  be  put  on  and  off  in  little  or  no 
time,  thus  allowing  them  to  be  kept  ready  for  emer- 
gencies and  in  the  meantime  using  the  tires  unshod. 
I  first  expected  to  see  these  chain  grips  wear  out  the 
tires  very  rapidly.  However,  I  found  this  not  to  be 
the  case  as  long  as  the  chains  are  kept  in  good  con- 
dition and  proper  precautions  are  taken  to  remove 
any  links  that  have  become  detached  or  have  worn 
to  sharp  edges.  On  the  other  hand,  I  have  been 
astonished  to  note  that  the  cross  chains  wear  out 
very  rapidly,  and  I  have  found  it  necessary  to  carry 
a  liberal  provision  of  renewal  links.  But  the  latter 
can  be  replaced  in  a  few  minutes. 

CHAUFFEURS. 

Persons  who  have  a  mechanical  turn  of  mind  can 
quickly  learn  to  understand  everything  about  a 
motor  car,  however  intricate  the  machine  may 
appear,  at  first  sight,  to  the  uninitiated.     Motoring 


PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS.  33i 

becomes  incomparably  more  pleasant  if  one  is  able 
to  drive  one's  own  car.  A  good  car  will  give  little 
or  no  serious  trouble  outside  of  an  occasional  adjust- 
ment. If  such  little  matters  are  not  objected  to  a 
chauffeur  is  not  indispensable  for  touring.  In  fact, 
his  absence  may  sometimes  simplify  matters  by 
giving  more  independence.  All  this  may  contribute 
to  render  a  trip  more  pleasurable.  As  to  filling  in 
gasoline  or  oil,  or  cleaning  the  car  or  handling  bag- 
gage, all  these  matters  are  readily  attended  to  at  any 
hotel  or  garage,  where  men  are  purposely  kept  for 
rendering  these  services  and  are  very  glad  to  find 
an  opportunity  for  thus  earning  extra  tips. 

The  only  unpleasant  feature  of  motoring  without 
being  accompanied  by  competent  help  is  the  dis- 
agreeable work  involved  in  changing  tires  in  case  of 
punctures.  For  that  purpose  a  man  or  groom  can 
be  taken  along  who  is  able  to  attend  to  this  matter 
and  make  himself  generally  useful,  even  if  he  is  not 
a  competent  chauffeur.  Such  a  man  may  be  picked 
up  in  any  country  and  discharged  whenever  his 
services  are  no  longer  required,  provided  an  under- 
standing to  that  effect  has  been  agreed  upon. 

It  is  rather  difficult  to  find  a  chauffeur  who  speaks 
the  several  languages  of  the  different  countries  in- 
cluded in  a  tour.  If  such  a  man  is  found  he  will 
often  be  at  the  same  time  a  kind  of  a  courier  and 
then  he  becomes  very  useful. 

In  France  the  higher  paid  chauffeur  is  a  "meca- 
nicien,"  who  is  a  thoroughly  trained  machinist,  able 
to  build  a  car  himself  if  need  be.  Sometimes  an 
excellent  machinist  is  not  so  good  as  a  driver. 
Furthermore,  his  skill  is  seldom  of  much  use,  be- 


332  PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS. 

cause  in  case  of  a  repair  he  can  do  little  without  a 
well-equipped  machine  shop. 

The  ordinary  French  chauffeur,  who  never 
neglects  the  opportunity  to  style  himself  ''mecani- 
cien,"  is  a  man  who  has  acquired  abundant  practice 
in  the  driving  of  a  car  and  knows  how  to  help 
himself  out  of  an  average  difficulty.  If  he  be  steady, 
sober  and  honest  he  will  make  an  excellent  driver, 
eager  to  please  his  employer  and  never  minding 
some  extra  work,  provided  he  gets  a  good  meal 
and  his  bottle  of  light  wine.  To  the  latter  every- 
body in  France  is  accustomed  to  such  a  degree  that 
to  have  to  eat  a  meal  without  wine  is  almost  con- 
sidered a  disgrace,  even  by  a  common  laborer. 

The  English  chauffeur,  too,  with  his  well-trained 
way  of  doing  things,  will  make  a  favorable  compari- 
son with  many  an  American  chauffeur.  In  our 
country  more  than  anywhere  else  are  to  be  found 
a  class  of  persons  who  call  themselves  chauffeurs 
and  have  fallen  into  their  new  occupation  after 
having  failed  at  everything  else.  Their  self-satis- 
fied attitude  and  ill-trained  manners,  which  tend 
more  to  show  their  impudence  and  lack  of  breeding 
than  their  independence,  do  not  make  them  desirable 
traveling  companions.  Of  course,  I  am  too  well 
aware  that  among  American  chauffeurs  are  also  to 
be  found  many  level-headed  and  skillful  men  who 
compare  favorably  with  those  of  any  other  nation. 

With  modern,  reliable  motor  cars  it  is  less  a 
knowledge  of  machinery  than  a  steady  head,  care- 
fulness and  experience  in  driving  that  are  required 
from  a  chauffeur.  Any  person  of  average  intelli- 
gence can  quickly   learn  to  make  whatever  small 


PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS.  33.3 

adjustments  may  be  necessary,  and  his  main  work 
will  soon  reduce  itself  to  a  mere  routine  occupation. 
Any  serious  repairs  or  alterations  cannot  be  well 
performed  without  such  machinery  as  is  found  only 
in  machine  shops,  where,  at  the  same  time,  a  trained 
machinist  is  always  available. 

COACHMEN    AS    CHAUFFEURS. 

My  personal  experience,  as  well  as  that  of  several 
of  my  friends,  is  that  a  good  coachman  whom  you 
train  yourself  makes  the  best  chauffeur.  If  you 
are  not  able  to  teach  him,  it  is  very  easy  to  have  him 
trained  by  a  competent  man,  who  will  succeed  in 
less  than  one  or  two  weeks  in  bringing  him  to  the 
point  where  he  can  drive  the  car  under  all  ordinary 
conditions.  A  little  more  practice  will  soon  give 
him  self-assurance.  At  that  stage  he  will  have  some 
great  advantages  over  the  slouchy,  cigarette-smok- 
ing, devil-may-care,  half-machinist-chauflfeur  who 
has  been  reared  in  a  greasy  machine  shop.  He  will 
keep  his  machine  cleaner  and  not  neglect  to  wash 
his  expensive  car  as  carefully  as  the  less  costly  horse 
vehicle.  Neither  will  he  dare  to  appear  with  soiled 
clothing,  a  black  face  or  oily  hands.  Being  used 
to  the  rules  of  the  road,  he  will  show  some  defer- 
ence to  the  rights  of  other  drivers.  Furthermore,  he 
will  not  imagine  that  he  lowers  himself  by  being 
polite  to  his  employer.  After  the  new  chauffeur 
has  reached  this  desirable  stage  in  his  development 
the  automobile  owner  should  inexorably  insist  upon 
cautious  driving  and  never  in  any  way  encourage 
speeding.  If  you  neglect  these  rules  you  will  soon 
spoil  your  man  and  make  of  him  a  reckless,  boast- 
ful scorcher,  who  will  never  feel  satisfied  if  you  do 


334  PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS. 

not  own  the  fastest  car  on  earth,  and  who  will 
become  a  menace  to  yourself,  your  family  and  your 
friends. 

In  Europe  charges  in  hotels  for  board  of  chauf- 
feurs are  very  moderate.  They  vary  somewhat 
according  to  locality.  During  my  tour  in  many 
places  in  France  and  Italy  the  price,  including 
everything,  even  wine,  did  not  exceed  five  or  six 
frances  per  day.  The  highest  charges  were  in  Edin- 
burgh, where  eight  shillings  was  exacted.  Strange 
to  say,  it  often  occurred  that  in  just  the  places  where 
charges  were  highest  drivers  were  treated  in  the 
most  stinted  way  compared  with  most  other  hotels, 
where  they  were  very  well  taken  care  of. 

I  was  told  by  people  who  know  that  if  the  chauf- 
feur pays  his  own  board  charges  are  apt  to  be  much 
lower,  and  that  is  the  reason  why  some  chauffeurs 
prefer  to  make  such  arrangement  as  to  salary,  so 
that  they  pay  their  own  hotel  expenses. 

An  American  friend  of  mine  traveled  all  through 
France  and  Italy  with  a  very  competent  French 
driver,  who  at  the  same  time  was  an  excellent 
machinist,  and  came  from  the  very  shop  where  his 
car  was  manufactured.  His  monthly  wages  were 
sixty  dollars,  everything  included,  leaving  the  chauf- 
feur to  pay  his  own  hotel  expenses. 

I  know  of  European  friends  who  made  even  more 
favorable  arrangements.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
passing  tourist,  being  unacquainted  with  local  con- 
ditions, will,  of  course,  be  expected  to  pay  more, 
especially  if  he  engages  a  chauffeur  in  a  large  city, 
where  higher  wages  prevail  on  account  of  a  more 
expensive  way  of  living. 


PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS.  335 

LANGUAGES. 

An  often  repeated  but  very  erroneous  statement 
induces  many  American  travelers  to  believe  that  all 
over  Continental  Europe  it  is  possible  to  get  along 
with  English  alone.  It  is  stated  that  everywhere 
people  are  to  be  found  who  understand  or  speak 
this  language  in  some  fashion  or  another.  This 
may  be  true  in  so  far  as  some  larger  hotels  in 
tourist  centres  are  concerned.  Unfortunately,  it  is 
not  so  in  many  smaller  places.  The  motorist  who 
traverses  the  most  hidden  and  remote  corners  of 
one  of  these  foreign  countries  and  who  does  not 
speak  the  current  language  is  often  embarrassed  to 
the  point  that  he  cannot  make  himself  understood  in 
the  simplest  matters.  Therefore,  I  advise  the  carry- 
ing of  a  small  dictionary.  The  Touring  Club  de 
France,  in  one  of  its  little  annuals,  published  a  very 
useful  .vocabulary  in  many  languages  especially 
adapted  for  motorists  and  cyclists. 

RENTING  MOTOR  CARS. 

In  late  years  several  agencies  have  been  started 
here,  as  well  as  in  Europe,  whose  purpose  it  is  to 
hire  out  to  the  intending  American  tourist  a  fully 
equipped  car,  provide  him  with  a  chauffeur  and 
arrange  the  whole  trip  beforehand.  Charges  are 
made  at  so  much  per  day,  per  week  or  per  month, 
and  prices  include  everything  from  gasoline,  tires 
and  repairs  to  the  wages  and  hotel  expenses  of  the 
chauffeur. 

In  such  cases  the  main  object  is  to  find  reliable 
agents  who  do  not  send  undesirable  chauffeurs  or 
cars  of  doubtful  quality.  Charges  vary  consider- 
ably, according  to  the  locality,  the  duration  of  the 


336  PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS. 

trip  and  the  value  of  the  machine.  It  has  come  to 
my  knowledge  that  in  some  tourist  centres  of 
Europe  the  hotelkeepers  and  garage  men  begin  by 
pocketing  one-third  of  the  price  as  commission  for 
bringing  the  unwary  American  travelers  in  rela- 
tion with  the  owner  of  some  automobile  who  wants 
to  make  some  extra  money  by  loaning  his  car  and 
chauffeur.  I  know  of  some  American  friends  who, 
after  discovering  this  dodge,  were  able  to  tour  for 
a  week  through  Switzerland  in  a  magnificent  car  at 
the  low  rate  of  $20  per  day. 

Near  Etretat  there  was  an  automobile  company 
that  rented  out  good  tonneaus,  with  room  for  four 
passengers  besides  the  driver,  for  100  francs  per 
day,  and  only  80  francs  if  the  car  was  taken  for 
several  days  in  succession.  For  larger  and  com- 
fortable limousines  the  price  would  be  higher,  but 
all  this  depends  on  particular  conditions. 

A  day's  ride  is  ordinarily  figured  at  100  miles. 
At  this  rate  hiring  an  automobile  becomes  consider- 
ably cheaper  than  touring  in  one's  own  car,  if  the 
latter  has  to  be  shipped  and  reshipped  and  if  a  chauf- 
feur is  taken  along  from  America. 

Nevertheless,  for  the  motorist  who  knows  his  own 
car  a  hired  car  will  no  more  bring  him  the  same 
enjoyment  than  will  a  hired  cab  to  the  lover  of 
horses  who  is  accustomed  to  drive  about  in  his  own 
carriage. 

REPAIRS   AND   SPARE    PARTS. 

For  an  extended  tour  abroad  it  will  be  advisable 
to  carry  along  some  spare  parts,  especially  such  as 
cannot  be  purchased  there  or  cannot  be  readily 
made  to  order.    Several  automobile  manufacturers 


PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS.  337 

in  the  United  States  are  willing  to  provide  their 
customers  with  a  set  of  extra  parts  and  refund 
money  for  unused  parts  after  the  trip  is  over. 

As  to  repairs  in  Europe,  I  found  that  the  charges 
were  incomparably  smaller  than  in  New  York;  in 
several  cases  I  obtained  parts,  made  entirely  to 
order,  at  lower  prices  than  I  have  to  pay  at  home 
for  the  ready-made  article.  Besides,  all  along  the 
well-traveled  highways  of  Europe  it  is  possible  to 
find  a  competent  man  who  can  make  good  repairs. 

As  to  tires,  they  can  be  found  everywhere  in 
Europe  and  considerably  cheaper  than  in' America. 
In  France  excellent  Michelin  covers  34x4^  inches 
cost  only  $43.  Everywhere  in  Europe,  even  in  Eng- 
land, tire  dimensions  are  given  exclusively  in  metric 
measures,  for  instance,  120x880  millimeters,  instead 
of  the  above  mentioned  size. 

AFFILIATIONS      WITH      EUROPEAN      AUTOMOBILE      OR 
TOURING   CLUBS. 

For  anyone  who  undertakes  a  motor  tour  in 
Europe  it  will  be  found  of  considerable  advantage 
to  become  a  member  of  some  active  touring  club  or 
automobile  club,  provided  he  is  not  already  a  mem- 
ber of  a  similar  organization  at  home  affiliated  with 
European  clubs.  In  the  latter  case  reciprocal  ex- 
change of  courtesies  is  expected,  and  he  may  be 
able  to  avail  himself,  of  European  club  facilities  by 
a  simple  letter  of  introduction.  At  the  trifling  ex- 
pense of  six  francs  per  annum  ($1.20)  an  American 
tourist  can  become  a  member  of  the  Touring  Club 
de  France.  All  that  he  has  to  do  is  to  apply  for 
membership  to  the  central  office  of  this  club,  which 
has  splendid  headquarters  in  Paris,  65  Avenue  de  la 


338  PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS. 

Grande  Armee.  This  touring  club  issues  a  monthly 
journal — in  French — and  sells  to  its  members 
maps,  guides  and  itineraries  for  all  countries  at  re- 
duced prices.  A  special  committee  furnishes  all  in- 
formation and  undertakes  to  provide  "triptyques"  for 
simplifying  customs  formalities  in  the  principal 
countries  of  Europe.  Furthermore,  the  club  has  made 
contracts  with  many  hotels  in  France  and  some 
other  European  countries  which  insure  uniform 
prices  to  their  members  and  often  allow  a  discount 
of  5  to  lo  per  cent,  on  the  hotel  bill.  In  some  in- 
stances my  bills  were  thus  reduced  fifty  francs.  The 
ever-increasing  number  of  members  is  now  over 
icx),ooo,  and  this  club  has  acquired  in  France  a 
national  importance  strengthened  by  its  influence  in 
other  countries  all  over  the  world,  where  it  en- 
deavors to  co-operate  with  other  similar  organiza- 
tions. The  directorate  of  the  club  includes  some  of 
the  most  distinguished  names  of  the  French  nation. 

There  is  also  the  Automobile  Club  de  France,  6 
Place  de  la  Concorde,  Paris,  a  very  important  and 
active  association  of  motorists,  to  which  admission 
is  somewhat  more  difficult  and  which,  therefore, 
does  not  number  as  many  members  as  the  more 
popular  Touring  Club  de  France. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  clubs  in  the  different 
countries,  membership  in  which  will  be  of  value  to 
the  tourist  in  these  countries: 
Great  Britain: 

Automobile  Club  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland, 
1 19  Piccadilly,  London,  W. 

Motor  Union  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  i 
Albemarle  street,  London,  W. 


PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS.  339 

Belgium : 

Automobile  Club  de  Belgique,  5   Place  Royale, 
Brussels. 
Holland: 

Nederlandsche   Automobile    Club,    i    B    Nassati 
Plein,  The  Hague, 
Switzerland : 

Automobile  Club  de  Suisse,  Hotel  Grand  Metro- 
pole,  Grand  Quay,  Geneva. 
Germany : 

Kaiserlicher  Automobil   Club,   9,   Leipzigerplatz 
16,  Berlin  W. 
Austria : 

Osterreichischer  Automobil  Club,  10  Karnthner- 
ring,  Vienna. 
Hungary : 

Magyar  Automobile  Club,  22  Esterhazy  Uctza, 
Budapest  IV. 
Italy : 

Touring  Club  Italiano,  Via  Monte  Napoleoni  14, 
Milan. 

Club  Automobilisti  Italiano,  Via  Plana,  Turin. 

GUIDES,  MAPS,  ETC. 

The  Touring  Club  de  France  sell,  for  the  trifling 
sum  of  about  thirty  cents  each,  four  little  volumes 
containing  itineraries,  routes,  hotels,  police  regula- 
tions, customs  laws,  an  automobile  vocabulary  in 
six  languages  and  much  other  useful  information. 
They  also  sell  itineraries,  printed  on  small  separate 
sheets,  briefly  describing  any  tourist  route.  These 
little  sheets  are  invaluable  and  cost  but  one  cent 
apiece.  Excellent  maps  of  France  on  a  scale  of 
400,000:1  and  -cut  up  in  sections  are  published  by 


340  PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS. 

this  san;le  club.  They  also  furnish  maps  of  other 
European  countries. 

The  different  automobile  clubs  of  France  or  Great 
Britain  render  the  same  service  to  their  members. 
Similar  guides  and  maps  can  be  bought  in  any 
country.  They  can  be  obtained  through  the  principal 
book  stores  in  large  cities  like  London,  Edinburgh, 
Paris,  Berlin  or  Leipzig,  but  it  is  best  to  apply  to 
such  stores  as  make  a  specialty  of  maps  and  guide 
books.  For  Great  Britain  I  should  mention  the 
excellent  maps  of  Gall  &  Inglis ;  also  Bartholomew's 
reduced  survey  maps.  Gall  &  Inglis  (25  Paternoster 
square,  London).  The  latter  publishers  have 
rendered  a  great  service  by  printing  a  contour  road 
book  of  England  and  Scotland,  in  which  they  give 
a  condensed  description  of  each  road,  together  with 
elevation  plans.  These  neat  little  volumes  allow 
one  to  obtain  rapidly  information  as  to  inclines  and 
other  details  of  the  road,  which  cannot  be  found' 
on  maps. 

A  similar  set  of  three  volumes  is  issued  by  the 
Italian  Touring  Club  under  the  title  of  "Guida 
Itineraria  del  Touring  Club  Italiano,  Strade  di 
Grande  Comunicazione  del  Italia."  It  is  a  pity  that 
this  otherwise  very  useful  Italian  publication  does 
not  give,  like  the  British  contour  books,  a  condensed 
description  of  objects  of  interest  along  the  route. 

For  Germany  I  used,  a  few  years  ago,  special 
contour  maps  published  by  Mittelbach  (10  Czer- 
maksgarten,  Leipzig,  Germany),  under  the  name  of 
"Deutsche  Strassenprofilkarte  fiir  Radfahrer." 
These  maps  were  conceived  in  a  somewhat  different 
way,  which  made  them  eminently  practical. 


PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS.  341 

Carefully  executed  maps  especially  arranged  for 
cyclists  and  motorists  are  for  sale  in  all  European 
countries.  I  refer  to  the  special  booksellers,  who 
can  obtain  them,  or  to  the  touring  or  automobile 
clubs,  who  will  readily  supply  further  information 
on  this  subject.  Michelin  and  other  tire  manufac- 
turers issue  very  useful  guide  books  which  are  ob- 
tainable everywhere  free  of  charge  from  their 
agents. 

During  my  repeated  travels  in  Europe  I  have 
found  Baedeker's  excellent  guide  books  an  invalu- 
able source  of  information ;  in  fact,  I  consider  these 
little  volumes  indispensable  for  supplementary  ad- 
vice which  cannot  be  found  in  maps  or  road  books. 
I  especially  appreciated  the  accurate  and  unbiased 
way  in  which  these  well-known  handbooks  for  triav- 
elers  are  written. 

SELECTING  AN  ITINERARY  OR  PLANNING  A  TOUR. 

Each  tourist  has  his  own  preferences  of  certain 
countries,  for  certain  cities,  or  for  certain  ways  of 
traveling,  and  it  would  be  unwise  to  presume  that 
any  advice  on  the  subject  could  be  offered  which 
would  meet  with  the  approval  of  everybody. 

I  know  of  more  than  one  person  who,  after  de- 
voting his  life  almost  exclusively  to  the  art  of  mak- 
ing money,  suddenly  discovers  on  the  day  when  he 
undertakes  a  vacation  trip  that  he  has  forgotten  the 
art  of  enjoying  life.  Such  people  may  try  to  copy 
the  methods  of  happiness  of  their  less  wealthy 
acquaintances  and  conclude  that  they  themselves 
find  very  little  satisfaction  in  it.  In  fact,  these  un-  , 
fortunate  beings  may  have  reached  the  point  where 


342  PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS. 

no  real  enjoyment  exists  for  them  anywhere  aside 
from  their  money-making  occupations.  As  soon  as 
they  leave  business  dreadful  ennui  stares  them  in 
the  face.  If  such  people  travel  the  first  sensation 
of  novelty .  is  soon  marred  by  rapidly  succeeding 
causes  for  dissatisfaction.  They  find  that  they 
seldom  meet  the  special  conditions  of  living  which 
are  in  accordance  with  the  habits  they  have  con- 
tracted in  their  one-sided  routine  life.  Most  of 
the  time  they  try  to  cajole  themselves  into  the  belief 
that  they  are  enjoying  themselves,  while  in  reality 
they  are  merely  spending  money  right  and  left  in 
increasing  amounts  without  great  satisfaction,  or 
they  keep  rushing  from  one  country  to  another  in 
vain  search  of  happiness.  I  have  known  such 
people  who  from  the  mere  fact  of  being  in  a  certain 
city  were  overcome  by  ennui,  which  caused  them 
to  move  to  another  place  where  their  implacable  tor- 
mentor, ennui,  followed  them  as  fast  as  train  or 
automobile  could  carry  them.  Such  people  will 
ordinarily  finish  by  finding  that  two  or  three  large 
capitals  in  Europe,  with  very  elaborately  appointed 
hotels,  agree  best  with  their  perverted  psychological 
condition,  and  they  will  welcome  the  day  of  deliv- 
erance which  brings  them  back  home  to  the  occupa- 
tions of  an  automatic  and  half-dizzy  routine  life. 

Some  ladies  accustomed  to  an  empty  and  super- 
ficial life  of  ostentation  and  pleasure,  not  tempered 
by  serious  responsibilities,  may  reach  this  same  men- 
tal unfitness  for  enjoying  anything  which  does  not 
closely  approach  their  narrow  conceptions  of  liv- 
ing. They,  too,  will  soon  seek  in  travel  little  else 
but  a   succession  of  large  cities   and  large   hotels 


PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS.  343 

where  they  can  find  an  opportunity  of  exhibiting 
their  bewildering  supply  of  stunning  dresses. 

I  am  afraid  that  for  such  tourists  my  suggestions 
will  be  very  much  out  of  place.  There  are,  however, 
many  other  travelers  who,  like  myself,  have  simpler 
habits  and  look  upon  touring  not  only  as  an  agree- 
able pastime,  but  especially  as  a  great  intellectual 
enjoyment.  To  the  latter  class  of  tourists  I  dare 
try  to  give  some  general  advice. 

In  the  first  place  I  would  tell  them  not  to  crowd 
too  many  miles  into  their  tour,  especially  if  their 
time  is  limited.  If  they  do  they  will  soon  acquire 
that  hunted  feeling  which  will  put  them  at  par  with 
the  belated  commuter  who  makes  his  train  connec- 
tions watch  in  hand. 

It  is  better  to  select  an  interesting  itinerary  than 
a  long  one,  and  if  you  are  in  a  lovely  district  stop 
there  for  a  few  days  and  learn  to  better  enjoy  the 
country  while  getting  acquainted  with  it.  Try  to 
cultivate  that  sentiment  of  repose  which  is  so  sadly 
lacking  in  our  overcrowded,  strenuous  life  in  Ameri- 
can cities.  Some  people  travel  around  with  the 
desire  "to  take  it  all  in,"  resembling  a  hungry  man 
gorging  himself  to  suffocation  before  an  abundant 
meal.  Therefore,  te  very  judicious  in  the  selection 
of  your  trip. 

ATTRACTIVE  TOURIN'G  DISTRICTS. 

England  and  Scotland  alone  are  by  themselves 
interesting  enough  to  fill  a  tour  of  one  or  two 
months,  and  will  prove  especially  enjoyable  to  such 
travelers  as  are  totally  unacquainted  with  foreign 
languages.      If    other    countries    are    visited    such 


344  PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS. 

itineraries  should  be  preferred  as  include  attractive 
scenery  ordinarily  not  so  accessible  by  railroad. 

I  may  mention,  for  instance,  for  France: 

Brittany  and  the  coast  of  Normandy,  the  French 
Alps,  the  Jura,  Savoy  and  Dauphine,  the  Vosges  and 
Alsace,  the  Rhone  district,  the  Loire  district,  the 
Pyrenees,  the  French  Riviera. 

Italy  abounds  with  similar  places  and  naming 
them  would  be  mentioning  almost  every  district  of 
Italy.  The  Italian  Riviera  and  the  Gulf  of  Salerno 
should  be  especially  mentioned.  Even  Sicily  affords 
charming  automobile  trips. 

Switzerland  is  sufficiently  known  for  its  imposing 
picturesqueness,  and  the  fact  that  good  roads  are  to 
be  found  almost  everywhere  would  make  it  a  para- 
dise for  the  motorist  but  for  the  unpleasant  hostility 
which  has  been  displayed  by  the  inhabitants  of  some 
sections  in  this  country. 

The  Rhine  country,  the  Black  Forest  and  Bavaria 
are  generally  accepted  as  the  most  picturesque  parts 
of  Germany. 

Austria  offers  Tyrol,  which  is  very  similar  to 
Switzerland,  although  not  so  extensively  visited. 
Also  many  less  known  but  intensely  interesting  dis- 
tricts toward  the  Adriatic,  where  the  country  begins 
to  savor  somewhat  of  neighboring  Eastern  lands. 

The  south  of  Spain  would  be  extremely  interest- 
ing were  better  accommodation  obtainable  and  were 
roads  not  in  such  a  miserable  condition. 

Algiers,  Tunis  and  Egypt  have  lately  become 
favorite  touring  resorts,  especially  for  French 
motorists,  who  report  satisfactory  conditions  as  to 
hotels  and  excellent  roads. 


PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS.  345 

BEST  SEASON   FOR  TOURS. 

The  season  in  which  the  tour  is  undertaken  has 
naturally  a  great  bearing  on  the  selection  of  the 
route.  In  winter,  early  spring  or  late  fall  the  south 
of  France,  the  Italian  coast  or  Sicily  may  be  visited, 
but  even  then  one  is  not  sure  of  avoiding  occasional 
chilly  or  wet  weather,  although  snow  or  frost  is  of 
but  rare  occurrence.  Algiers,  Tunis  and  Egypt 
offer  a  more  sure,  steady  and  mild  climate  during 
the  cold  months  of  the  year. 

All  other  northern  countries  are  very  uninviting 
during  the  cold  season.  There,  when  it  is  not  rainy 
and  wet,  the  roads  are  covered  with  snow  or  ice. 

The  best  time  to  visit  the  United  Kingdom  is  in 
spring  or  midsummer.  During  that  time  the  weather 
is  ordinarily  very  agreeable  and  not  too  much 
marred  by  an  overabundance  of  rain. 

Midsummer  is  also  the  best  time  for  Switzerland 
and  the  other  high  mountain  resorts  of  Europe. 

The  main  objection  to  the  month  of  August  is 
that  during  that  time  all  summer  resorts  are  very 
much  overcrowded,  especially  along  the  seashore, 
and,  therefore,  it  is  advisable  to  keep  more  inland, 
where  it  is  often  cooler  and  certainly  always  more 
comfortable. 

An  automobile,  as  long  as  it  keeps  in  motion,  will 
make  the  hottest  day  cool  and  enjoyable. 

^  It  is  a  capital  mistake  to  believe  that  hot  summer 
months  are  not  suitable  for  automobiling  along  the 
Riviera  or  in  Italy.  Quite  on  the  contrary,  a  hot 
day  is  never  more  unbearable  than  in  London,  Paris 
or  Berlin,  where  houses  and  hotels  are  not  con- 
structed in  view  of  abnormally  hot  weather,  and 


346  PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS. 

where  the  customs  and  usages  of  northern  people 
sometimes  make  summer  heat  a  very  trying  ordeal. 

In  southern  countries,  like  Italy,  everything  is 
arranged  to  assure  comfort  in  hot  weather,  and  it 
is  seldom  that  a  good  hotel  does  not  possess  cool 
and  spacious  rooms.  At  that  season  southern  hotels 
are  never  overcrowded  and  offer  the  best  accommo- 
dation. In  winter  or  early  spring  many  southern 
hotels  are  decidedly  uncomfortable,  because  they 
have  no  proper  facilities  for  heating  the  rooms. 

I  ought  to  mention  that  in  summer  several  marshy 
parts  of  Italy  are  notoriously  malarious.  It  is  ad- 
visable not  to  travel  through  them  early  in  the  morn- 
ing or  at  night  and  to  avoid  mosquito  bites.  For 
the  latter  purpose  all  good  hotels  in  Italy  provide 
their  beds  with  mosquito  netting.  Italian  malaria, 
similar  to  the  American  illness  of  the  same  name, 
yields  to  quinine  treatment. 

The  months  of  September  and  October  are  ex- 
ceedingly well  adapted  for  touring  in  the  south  of 
France  or  Italy.  Northern  and  middle  France, 
northern  Belgium,  Holland  and  northern  Germany 
offer,  as  a  whole,  a  rather  monotonous  and  flat  land- 
scape, but  the  tourist  may  desire  to  visit  these  coun- 
tries on  account  of  other  objects  of  interest. 

SUITABLE  STARTING  POINTS. 

Several  seaports  may  be  selected  from  which  J;o 
start  an  automobile  trip.  In  the  United  Kingdom  a 
tour  may  be  commenced  from  London,  Southamp- 
ton, Liverpool  or  Glasgow. 

For  France  and  middle  Europe  or  any  trips  south- 
ward, Havre  is  certainly  the  best  port.    The  car  may 


PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS.  347 

also  be  shipped  directly  to  Marseilles,  whence  a  trip 
along  the  Mediterranean  can  be  started. 

For  northern  Europe  the  principal  ports  are  Ham- 
burg or  Bremen,  Amsterdam  or  Rotterdam  and 
Antwerp. 

A  tour  in  Great  Britain  may  be  arranged  accord- 
ing to  the  itinerary  described  by  me,  and  may  be 
completed  by  side  trips  through  Cornwall,  Wales, 
the  lake  district,  the  north  of  Scotland  and  Ireland, 
with  excellent  roads  almost  everywhere. 

In  order  to  reach  France  from  England  the  routes 
Dover-Calais,  Folkestone-Boulogne  and  Newhaven- 
Dieppe  may  be  used ;  but  the  most  practical  route  is 
Southampton-Havre.  Cars  may  be  shipped  also 
from  Liverpool  to  Marseilles. 

Italy  has  only  two  available  ports  for  automobiles 
from  the  States,  Genoa  and  Naples,  but  the  latter 
place  is  not  as  convenient  as  Genoa,  because  steam- 
ers stop  there  only  a  few  hours,  and  this  makes 
loading  and  unloading  a  rather  uncertain  matter 
unless  special  arrangements  are  made  with  the 
steamship  companies. 

From  Havre  almost  all  tours  on  the  Continent 
may  be  commenced.  From  there  any  part  of  France 
can  be  conveniently  reached.  In  the  same  way  good 
roads  lead  from  Havre  to  southern  Germany,  Swit- 
zerland, Tyrol,  Austria,  Spain  and  Italy.  In  ac- 
cordance with  these  general  indications  special  itin- 
eraries can  be  planned,  and  in  order  to  facilitate 
matters  advice  can  be  asked  of  any  of  the  touring 
clubs  in  Europe,  but  the  information  contained  in 
the  annuals  issued  by  these  associations  will  give 
ample  opportunity  to  make  a  judicious  selection. 


348  PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS. 

BAGGAGE. 

While  touring  do  not  overload  yourself  with  more 
baggage  than  is  strictly  necessary.  Too  much  of  it 
is  hard  on  the  tires  and  may  cramp  even  the  room- 
iest carriage.  On  the  other  hand,  be  liberal  with 
your  provision  of  linen.  Laundry  work  is  slow  and 
of  uncertain  quality  in  many  places,  especially  dur- 
ing the  busy  season;  and  unreliable  deliveries  will 
often  cause  irksome  delays.  Therefore,  always  have 
linen  enough  on  hand  so  as  to  be  able  to  choose 
such  places  where  you  feel  sure  that  the  laundry 
will  not  upset  your  plans  of  leaving  at  a  specified 
time. 

On  a  tour  baggage  is  ever  exposed  to  dust  and 
rain,  and,  therefore,  should  be  properly  protected  by 
means  of  dust-  and  waterproof  coverings;  the  lat- 
ter, when  properly  strapped,  will  at  the  same  time 
avoid  unpleasant  losses  and  prevent  bundles  from 
falling  off  unnoticed  while  traveling  at  a  good 
speed. 

HOTELS  AND  GARAGES. 

Only  in  large  cities  or  important  summer  or  win- 
ter resorts  is  it  possible  to  find  European  hotels 
which  can  compare  in  size  and  general  organization 
with  the  best  establishments  of  the  United  States. 
Most  hostelries  in  Europe  are  much  smaller.  On 
the  other  hand,  more  attention  is  given  to  the  trav- 
eler and  the  service  is  considerably  better  than  in 
the  majority  of  American  hotels. 

In  England  or  Scotland  I  have  never  heard  of 
even  the  simplest  country  inn  which  did  not  pos- 
sess at  least  one  bathroom.     In  France  one  still 


PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS.  349 

meets  with  hotels  which,  otherwise  good,  do  not 
seem  to  consider  the  bathtub  indispensable.  In  all 
the  Italian  hotels  I  frequented  I  found  sufficient 
accommodation  for  bathing,  and  I  have  been  rather 
astonished  to  find  that  the  average  tourist  hotel  in 
Italy  is  generally  cleaner  and  gives  better  service 
than  many  French  hotels  that  cater  to  the  same  class 
of  travelers. 

In  most  Continental  hotels  breakfast  is  of  the  sim- 
plest kind,  consisting  simply  of  coffee  and  rolls, 
while  the  two  other  meals  are  very  substantial.  To 
obtain  anything  except  boiled  eggs  is  rather  difficult, 
and  may  become  a  pretext  for  considerably  increased 
charges.  This  is  simply  due  to  the  fact  that  the 
cook  is  not  supposed  to  be  at  work  before  eleven  in 
the  morning. 

HOTEL  CHARGES. 

In  Great  Britain,  on  the  contrary,  breakfast  is 
very  substantial,  well  served  and  well  prepared. 
Often  it  is  the  only  tasteful  meal  of  the  day.  Except 
in  Great  Britain,  soap  is  never  provided  in  European 
hotels,  and  the  traveler  is  expected  to  bring  his  own 
supply  of  this  necessary  article. 

In  Scotland,  hotels  are  somewhat  more  expensive 
than  in  England.  In  England,  prices  are  apt  to  be 
higher  than  in  Germany,  France  or  Italy. 

As  a  rule  charges  of  European  hotels  are  lower 
than  in  corresponding  American  hotels,  even  after 
including  liberal  tips.  The  only  exception  to  this 
may  be  found  in  a  few  hotels,  in  large  cities,  which 
are  almost  exclusively  patronized  by  Americans; 
also  in  gambling  resorts,  like  Monte  Carlo. 


350  PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS. 

ICE   AND  DRINKING   WATER. 

In  some  localities  on  the  Continent,  for  instance, 
Holland,  Belgium  and  the  northern  part  of  France, 
drinking  water  is  decidedly  bad,  and  is  obtained 
from  defectively  constructed  wells.  In  hilly  or 
mountainous  regions  water  is  ordinarily  of  excellent 
quality  and  can  be  relied  upon. 

For  those  who  have  any  hesitation  on  this  sub- 
ject, I  would  advise  inquiry  as  to  the  source  of  the 
water  supply.  If  it  comes  from  a  shallow  well  it  is 
advisable  to  reject  it.  Water  from  a  spring  is 
ordinarily  more  reliable.  If  it  is  provided  by  the 
city,  and  if  the  locality  is  a  hilly  one,  it  is  ordinarily 
safe  to  use  it. 

I  might  mention  that  England  was  the  first  coun- 
try to  give  proper  attention  to  the  systematic  purifi- 
cation of  the  public  water  supply.  The  water  of 
Paris  is  considered  to  be  rather  defective  in  many 
respects. 

In  some  parts  of  Europe  the  water  contains  a 
considerable  amount  of  lime  salts,  which  give  it  a 
special  taste.  This  "hardness,"  if  not  exaggerated, 
is  not  objectionable.  Most  European  hygienists  be- 
lieve that  water  should  contain  some  Time  salts.  I 
know  some  authorities  who  claim  that  the  unusually 
soft  water  that  we  drink  in  some  of  the  Eastern 
States  is  responsible  for  much  of  the  dyspepsia 
which  is  prevalent  among  us. 

The  odor,  taste  and  color  of  drinking  water  are 
very  often  valuable  indications  as  to  whether  or  not 
it  should  be  rejected.  Odor  and  taste  are  com- 
pletely masked  after  chilling  water  by  the  introduc- 
tion of  a  lump  of  ice.     This  is  one  more  reason 


PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS.  3S1 

why  ice  should  be  used  sparingly.  In  Europe 
ice  is  almost  always  of  doubtful  quality.  It  is  or- 
dinarily collected  in  questionable  localities,  from 
stagnant  pools  or  sluggish  rivers.  Artificial  ice 
manufacturing  is  not  yet  carried  on  with  the  degree 
of  perfection  it  has  attained  in  the  States;  ordi- 
narily any  available  kind  of  water  is  used,  while 
distilled  or  otherwise  purified  water  is  seldom 
resorted  to  for  ice  manufacturing.  In  Savoie,  Swit- 
zerland, Italy  and  Tyrol  ice  is  often  obtained  from 
the  nearby  glaciers,  and  is  then  of  excellent  quality. 

UNCOOKED    VEGETABLES. 

I  have  very  good  reasons  for  warning  all  travelers 
in  Europe  against  eating  uncooked  vegetables, 
excepting  fruit  or  tomatoes.  Few  Americans  are 
aware  of  the  fact  that  in  most  European  countries 
table  vegetables  are  manured  by  means  of  fre- 
quently renewed  applications  of  that  kind  of  ferti- 
lizer which  exists  abundantly  in  localities  where  ele- 
mentary sanitary  contrivances  are  almost  totally  un- 
known. The  farmers  have  been  using  this  disgust- 
ing method  of  manuring  since  remote  ages,  and 
people  of  their  countries  have  been  accustomed  to 
it  since  childhood.  This  is,  I  believe,  the  only 
reason  why  no  one  seems  to  object  to  this  repulsive 
practice.  I  make  it  a  rule  while  traveling  in  Europe 
to  refrain  from  touching  any  raw  salad  or  celery, 
however  well  washed  it  may  be.  Ordinary  stable 
manure,  as  used  in  the  States,  is  bad  enough,  but 
I  draw  the  line  against  this  European  way  of  fer- 
tilizing. If  I  did  not  protest  from  a  hygienic  stand- 
point, I  should  do  so  for  aesthetic  considerations.  I 
ought  to  mention  that  in  France  and  Italy  many 


352  PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS. 

restaurants  know  how  to  prepare  excellent  stewed 
salad  or  celery,  or  other  similar  cooked  vegetables. 

TIPS. 

Almost  all  of  the  better  country  hotels,  as  well 
as  those  situated  in  towns  visited  by  tourists,  are 
nowadays  provided  with  garages.  Some  make  a 
small  charge,  while  at  others  you  are  merely  ex- 
pected to  give  a  tip  to  the  man  who  is  in  charge 
of  the  garage.  This  tip  varies  from  fifty  centimes 
to  one  shilling  a  day,  according  to  whether  you  use 
the  garage  only  one  day  or  several  days  in  succes- 
sion. If  any  special  services  have  been  rendered 
the  tip  is  supposed  to  be  correspondingly  higher. 
In  larger  cities  hotels  with  garages  are  rarer,  and, 
therefore,  the  cars  are  sent  to  garages  that  make  it 
a  regular  business.  The  charges  here  vary  from 
one  to  three  shillings  a  day,  and  tips  are  expected  if 
special  help  has  been  given. 

As  to  the  general  matter  of  tips,  I  have  found 
that  when  paying  large  bills  about  ten  per  cent,  of 
the  total  amount  distributed  among  porter,  boots, 
chambermaid  and  waiter  is  usually  considered 
amply  sufficient.  For  smaller  bills  this  amount  often 
reaches  fifteen  per  cent.,  while  in  restaurants  or 
cafes  the  smallest  purchase  means  a  minimum  tip  of 
ten  centimes,  or  one  penny  in  England,  and  often 
twice  as  much. 

In  England  and  Scotland  some  hotels  still  con- 
tinue to  make  a  separate  charge  for  light  and 
attendance,  although  they  expect  you  to  tip  the  wait- 
ers just  the  same.  More  modem  hotels  have  stopped 
this  silly  and  antiquated  custom.  Not  so  long  ago 
most  Continental  hotels  made  supplementary  charges 


PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS.  353 

for  light,  under  the  heading  "Bougie."  I  am  glad 
to  state  that  the  absurd  practice  is  disappearing,  and 
in  more  modern  hotels  the  room  charges  include 
everything  except  the  bath. 

MONEY  AND  PASSPORTS. 

When  on  a  motor  tour  it  is  more  than  ever  neces- 
sary to  be  well  provided  with  money,  but  carrying 
large  sums  may  be  inconvenient,  if  not  dangerous. 
A  circular  letter  of  credit  is  the  most  practical  way 
to  feel  financially  at  ease.  The  only  objection  to 
a  letter  of  credit  is  that  only  once  in  a  while  is  a 
town  met  with  a  bank  where  money  can  be  drawn. 
I  have  always  found  it  very  convenient  to  carry, 
besides  my  letter  of  credit,  some  American  Express 
checks  in  denominations  of  $io  and  $20,  which  are 
readily  accepted  in  almost  all  hotels  or  stores  patron- 
ized by  American  tourists.  The  fact  that  the  rate 
of  exchange  for  all  kinds  of  money  is  printed  on 
each  slip  has  made  these  useful  checks  a  sort  of 
international  money  system.  One  time  when  I 
happened  to  be  in  the  Republic  of  Colombia,  in 
South  America,  during  one  of  the  numerous  revolu- 
tions, I  readily  obtained  1,000  Colombian  paper  dol- 
lars in  exchange  for  a  $20  American  Express  check ! 

As  to  passports,  I  would  advise  every  American 
automobilist  to  obtain  one  before  touring  in  foreign 
countries.  He  may  not  need  it  at  all,  or  he  may  be 
very  glad  to  have  it  availably  at  some  critical  time, 
even  if  only  as  a  document  of  identification  at  the 
bank  or  post  office. 

SHIPPING  THE  MOTOR  CAR. 

The  motor-car  owner  who  desires  to  be  relieved 
from  any  preoccupation  as  to  the  shipping  of  his 


354  PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS. 

car  should  apply  to  some  express  company,  or  any 
of  the  automobile  companies  that  make  a  specialty 
of  this  kind  of  business.  This  will  cost  somewhat 
more  than  to  deal  directly  with  the  steamship  com- 
panies and  to  have  the  box  made  to  order.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  charges  made  by  above-mentioned 
companies  include  everything — loading  and  unload- 
ing, as  well  as  customs  formalities.  The  cost  of 
transportation  varies  according  to  the  bulk  of  the 
crated  car  expressed  in  cubic  feet.  In  Europe, 
between  England  and  France,  cars  are  accepted  on 
steamers  without  crating.  They  are  either  se- 
curely lashed  on  deck  and  covered  with  tarpaulins, 
or  are  safely  stowed  away  in  the  hold.  The  Auto- 
mobile Club  of  America  is  trying  to  induce  the 
steamer  companies  on  this  side  to  adopt  the  same 
methods.  If  they  succeed  an  enormous  simplifica- 
tion in  the  problem  of  transatlantic  transportation 
of  motor  cars  will  be  secured.  That  club  might 
go  one  step  further  and  persuade  the  American  cus- 
tom-house officials  to  reduce  their  unnecessary  red 
tape  for  re-entering  automobiles,  and  adopt  a  plan 
similar  to  that  of  most  European  countries. 

Although  there  is  no  duty  on  a  machine  built  in 
the  United  States  and  returning  from  a  foreign 
port,  it  is  necessary  to  be  provided  with  the  original 
shipping  manifest  from  America  to  Europe.  Also  a 
certified  statement  of  the  American  consul,  at  the 
European  port  whence  the  car  is  reshipped,  that  the 
latter  is  of  American  make  and  while  in  Europe  has 
not  undergone  any  changes  or  additions  which  have 
increased  its  commercial  value.  In  fact,  in  order 
to  avoid  any  controversy  on  the  subject,  it  may  be 


PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS.  355 

well,  before  shipping  the  car  to  Europe,  to  have  a 
signed  statement  from  an  American  custom-house 
officer  describing  the  automobile  fully. 

In  the  case  of  a  foreign-built  machine  which  has 
already  paid  duty  on  its  original  entry  into  this 
country  no  further  duty  is  levied  upon  its  re-entry 
here,  provided  a  certificate  of  registration  is  made 
out  before  the  car  leaves  these  shores.  For  this 
purpose  the  car  has  to  be  submitted  for  inspection 
by  the  appraiser  and  a  general  inventory  has  to  be 
made  up  of  tools,  tires  and  spare  parts.  This  in- 
ventory must  be  presented  to  the  custom  house  when 
the  car  re-enters  the  country.  We  are  still  very  far 
from  the  simple  and  practical  triptyque  system  as 
adopted  in  Europe. 

All  the  above-mentioned  formalities  should  be 
attended  to  by  a  custom-house  broker,  who  knows 
his  way  through  the  intricacy  of  all  the  surrounding 
red  tape. 

CRATING. 

A  good  crate  or  box  can  be  made  for  $50  to  $75, 
according  to  the  size  of  the  car.  As  the  box  will 
be  required  for  the  return  trip,  it  will  be  well  to 
construct  it  in  such  a  way  that  it  can  be  easily  taken 
apart  and  assembled  again. 

WelUseasoned  lumber  will  prevent  the  knocked- 
down  box  during  storage  near  the  wharves  ffom 
shrinking  or  warping  to  such  an  extent  that  the  dif- 
ferent parts  do  not  fit  well  when  they  are  reassem- 
bled for  the  return  trip.  It  is  well  to  mark  and  num- 
ber all  pieces  to  avoid  confusion  while  assembling. 

Before  boxing  the  automobile  a  thin  layer  of  thick 
oil  should  be  brushed  over  all  finished  iron  or  nickel- 


356  PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS. 

plated  and  brass  parts  to  prevent  rusting  while  the 
machine  is  inside  of  the  ship's  damp  hold.  The 
suspending  springs  should  be  blocked  and  tied,  to 
insure  immovability  of  the  body.  All  loose  parts 
should  be  fastened  and  the  windows  lowered  and 
made  immovable  to  prevent  breakage.  Water  and 
gasoline  tanks  should  be  emptied  and  electric  wires 
disconnected  to  prevent  short  circuiting  or  self-dis- 
charge of  the  cells. 

The  material  for  the  box  should  be  ordinary 
tongue  and  groove  pine  boards,  dressed  on  both 
sides,  four  or  five  inches  wide,  and  one  inch  thick. 
The  floor  should  be  so  constructed  as  to  support  the 
whole  weight  of  the  car.  For  this  purpose  it  should 
be  made  of  two  skids  6x6  inches,  and  at  least 
two  inches  longer  than  the  extreme  length  of  the 
auto.  The  beveled  ends  of  the  skids  will  allow  of 
the  use  of  rollers  for  sliding  the  boxed  car.  The 
skids  should  be  placed  so  as  to  come  directly  under 
the  wheels,  and  thus  support  the  main  pressure  of 
the  total  weight.  On  the  outside  of  each  skid  should 
be  spiked  a  piece  2x4  inches  in  such  a  way  that  its 
top  is  level  with  that  of  the  skid,  and  broadens  the 
top  of  the  latter  by  two  inches. 

The  floor  must  be  at  least  two  inches  wider  than 
the  extreme  width  of  the  car,  the  excess  depending 
on  tlie  thickness  of  the  boards  used.  The  boards  of 
the  floor  are  nailed  to  the  skids,  and  great  care 
should  be  taken  to  have  the  latter  exactly  parallel 
and  the  boards  square  to  them. 

The  car  is  run  on  this  platform  and  put  accurately 
m  position.  Then  the  wheels  are  blocked  by  means 
of  eight  wooden  wedges,  screwed  to  side  boards  and 


PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS. 


357 


to  the  floor  of  the  box.  But  this  does  not  prevent 
trouble  in  case  one  of  the  tires  deflates,  which  would 
make  the  car  sag  and  damage  the  axles.  Therefore 
the  axles  or  the  hubs  should  be  supported  by  and 
tied  to  four  wooden  or  steel  props,  properly  lined 


Diagram  of  Crate  for  Shipping  an  Automobile  to  Europe. 

on  the  supporting  surface  with  leather,  carivas  or 
cloth  to  prevent  scratching. 

The  sides  are  built  up  on  four  uprights  to  each 
side,  of  2x4  inch  material,  the  length  of  each  being 
the  height  of  the  car,  with  at  least  two  inches  clear- 
ance, plus  twice  the  thickness  of  the  ceiling,  plus 
four  inches.    In  this  way  each  upright  will  lap  down 


358 


PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS. 


four  inches  on  the  side  of  the  skid,  where  it  is  fast- 
ened by  a  lag  screw. 

The  boards  for  the  sides  should  be  cut  shorter 
than  the  length  of  the  skid  by  twice  their  own 
thickness,  which  allows  the  front  and  rear  of  the 
box  to  set  into  a  rabbet.  The  boards  for  the  top 
piece  are  likewise  nailed  to  four  cross-pieces,  2x4 
inches.  The  length  of  these  cross-pieces  is  equal 
to  the  width  of  the  floor,  plus  four  inches.    As  to  the 


THE   HORSELESS  AGE 

Blocking  the  Wheel  in  the   Crate. 

boards  used  for  the  top,  their  length  is  equal  to 
that  of  the  floor.  The  front  and  rear  ends  are 
similarly  made,  using  three  cross-pieces  for  each. 
These  cross-pieces  are  placed  horizontally,  while 
the  required  boards  are  nailed  so  as  to  stand  upright. 
One  cross-piece  is  in  the  centre,  the  other  two  are 
at  the  top  and  bottom,  the  latter  placed  so  as  to 
overlap  at  the  top  piece  and  at  the  floor  by  three 
inches.  This  necessitates  material  2x5  inches  thick 
and  of  a  length  equal  to  the  full  width  of  the  floor, 
plus  four  inches.    The  length  of  the  boards  is  given 


PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS.  359 

by  the  inside  height  of  the  box,  plus  the  thickness  of 
one  board. 

For  very  large  or  very  heavy  cars  it  may  be 
necessary  to  strengthen  the  floor  below  by  nailing 
diagonal  pieces  between  the  skids;  the  outside  of 
the  top  can  likewise  be  strengthened  by  running 
along  the  edges  a  2x4  piece,  braced  against  the 
cross-pieces.  The  latter  precaution  prevents  the 
collapse  of  the  ceiling  by  the  crushing  action  of  the 
chains  or  ropes,  which  might  be  used  in  a  careless 
manner,  while  hoisting  the  car  to  or  from  the  ship. 
The  edges  of  the  top  part  can  be  fastened  to  the 
uprights  of  the  sides  with  lag  screws  or  secured 
by  angle  irons  and  wood  screws.  Lag  screws  or 
angle  irons  can  be  used  in  the  same  way  for  fasten- 
ing the  front  and  rear  ends.  Lag  screws,  if  properly 
applied,  are  entirely  sufficient  and  allow  prompter 
packing  and  unpacking. 

COST  OF  TOUR. 

The  cost  of  an  automobile  tour  will  vary  consider- 
ably, according  to  the  localities  visited,  the  kind  and 
size  of  the  machine,  the  mileage  and  the  duration  of 
the  trip.  In  this  matter  I  am  only  able  to  give  the 
result  of  my  own  experience,  which  is  tabulated 
below.  I  omit  the  wages  of  the  chauffeur,  the  pas- 
senger rates  for  steamship  transportation  and  the 
hotel  bills.  As  to  the  latter,  I  can  make  a  general 
statement : 

For  our  party,  consisting  of  my  wife,  two  chil- 
dren, myself  and  chauffeur,  the  average  daily  hotel 
bills,  inclusive  of  garage  charges  and  tips,  varied 
from  $10  to  $15.  They  were  very  seldom  higher 
than  $15,  except  in  some  larger  cities  with  expen- 


36o  PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS. 

sive  hotels.  In  France  and  Italy,  they  ordinarily 
were  close  to  $12  per  day.  We  stayed  at  thirty-three 
different  hotels. 

Our  trip  covered  about  3,300  miles  overland,  and 
wore  out  almost  all  my  old  tires;  the  latter  were 
replaced  by   four  new  ones,  which  are  all  yet  in 
excellent  condition. 
England  and  Scotland — 

1,344  miles. 

188  ''imperial"  gallons  of  gasoline $53.00 

Belgium  and  France — 

1,253  miles. 

611  liters  of  gasoline 47.00 

Italy—  / 

710  miles. 

372  liters  of  gasoline 55-00 

^            Total  for  'gasoline ._ $155.00 

1  Total  for  lubricants 12 .00 

''  Total  cost  of  tire  repairs  and  renewals 243.00 , 

u-  Repairs  on  machinery 49.00 

•  Cost  of  crate 71.00 

.  Transportation  of  crate  to  New  York  pier 9.00 

Expenses  of  crating 9.00 

Transportation  from  New  York  to  Tilbury  (Eng- 
land)     : 71.00 

Extra  expenses  for  wharfage,  unloading,  etc 19,00 

Storage  of  knock-down  box  in  Tilbury  three  months.  6.00 

Shipping  Dover-Calais  and  incidental  charges 36.00 

".Transportation  and  handling  the  knock-down  box 

from  Tilbury  to  Naples 33-00 

Boxing  the  car  in  Naples,  tips  inclusive 24.00 

;i  Transportation  from  Naples  to  New  York 73.00 

Charges  for  lighterage,  hoisting,  etc.,  in  Naples...  31.00 
.Custom  brokerage  and   other  expenses   connected 

with  re-entry  in  New  York 26.00 

Total $867.00 


PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS.  361 

To  these  expenses  should  be  added  the  cost  of  a 
"floating"  fire  and  marine  insurance  policy,  as  well 
as  insurance  against  accidents  or  casualties,  board 
and  salary  of  chauffeur  and  the  cost  of  his  steam- 
ship tickets. 

Outlays  for  gasoline  are  stated  separately  for 
each  country,  the  price  varying  considerably.  The 
consumption  of  this  article  was  rather  large,  on 
account  of  the  machine  being  "low  geared."  The 
price  of  oil  is  almost  the  same  everywhere,  and  for 
that  reason  the  total  cost  of  this  article  has  been 
given. 

Expenses  for  repairs  include  all  repair  bills  while 
traveling,  but  some  small  and  inexpensive,  voluntary 
improvements,  which  I  introduced  while  touring,  are 
not  counted  in.  My  boxed  car  measured  about 
9x7x14  feet.  The  cost  of  shipment  would  have  been 
much  smaller  had  I  returned  from  the  same  port  at 
which  I  landed  the  car.  This  would  have  saved  the 
transportation  of  the  empty  crate  from  England  to 
Italy. 


INDEX. 


PAGE. 

Abbeville    ii8 

Abbotsford 66 

Adriatic    344 

Aiguebelle   164 

Aix-les-Bains   161 

Algiers   344 

Allessandria    187 

Alps  ,..: 344 

Alsace  344 

Amalfi  284 

Amberieu  149 

Annecy  153 

Anacapri  274 

Asti   187 

Austria  344 

Automobile  Clubs 337 

Autun   143 

Avallon  140 

Auxerre    138 

Baggage 11,  348 

Bavaria  344 

Belgium 98 

Benzina 186 

Birmingham 36,  52 

Black  Forest 344 

Blackwall  Tunnel 17 

Blenheim    22 

Boulogne-sur-Mer 112 

Bourg 148 

Boxing 14,  355 

363 


PAGE. 

Brakes 326 

Bromley   16,  18,  84 

Bruges 104 

Burgundy    145 

Burton-on-Trent 36 

Bussala  194 

Buxton   47 

Campagna  Romana.248,  253 

Calais 93,  108 

Capri    273,  316 

Capua   266 

Carriage    Body 10,  323 

Cassino   265 

Cavia 304 

Chambery    161 

Chamousset   164 

Chatsworth 44 

Chauffeurs 146,  330 

Cheviot   Hills 69 

Chislehurst.......i6,  84,  85 

Civita  Vecchia 236 

Cluny • 14s 

Corneto    235 

Cornwall    56 

Cost  of  Tour 359 

Crating  355 

Dauphine   344 

Dazio    183 

Dieppe 118 


364 


INDEX. 


•      PAGE. 

Dover   88 

Drinking    Water 350 

Durham   72 

Dynamo   9 

Ealing 20 

Edinburgh  60 

Egypt 344 

Emigration 292 

England i5,  344 

Engine 8,  324,  325 

Essence  117 

Engine 8 

Expenses 349,  359 

Fecamp 120 

Ferentino  258 

Fier  152 

Folkestone 87 

Fountains  Abbey 67,  ^7 

France 93,  344 

Frosinone 259 

Garages 348 

Geneva  151 

Genoa  196 

Germany 344 

Gran  Croce 183 

Grantham    80 

Gretna  Green 57 

Grosseto    228 

Guides 339 

Haddon  Hall 41 

Hotels   348 

High  Wycombe 20 

Ignition 9 

Insurance 361 


PAGE. 

Introduction 3 

Italy 173 

Itinerary  341 

Jedburgh 66 

Joigny 138 

Jura   149,  344 

Kendal 55 

Kenilworth    32 

Kent    85 

Kew  20 

Lake  District 56 

Lammermuir  64 

Languages  •. .  335 

Lans-le-Bourg 168 

Licenses 15,  1 18,  122 

Loire  District 344 

London 16,  19,  83 

Macaroni   290 

Macon  150 

Malaria 224,  227,  228,  233 

Manchester   49 

Maps  339 

Maremme 227 

Massa  222 

Matlock  Bath 37 

Melrose  Abbey 67 

Melun  134 

Menthon 160 

Medane 165 

Moffat    58 

Money 353 

Mont  Blanc 150 

Mont   Cenis 173 

Montereau  134 

Morvand 142 


INDEX. 


365 


PAGE. 

Motor 324,  325 

Mount   Bracco 212 

Naples  266 

Nervi 200 

Newcastle    72 

Normandy 119 

Octroi   Ill 

Ostend 99 

Oxford  20 

Passports    353 

Paris 129,  130 

Pisa    223 

Planning  a  Tour 

34i»  343,  345 

Pompeii    304 

Porto  Fino  Kulm 202 

Positana   280 

Practical   Suggestions . .  323 

Preface    i 

Pyrenees    344 

Rapallo  204 

Ravello    298 

Recco 201 

Renting 335 

Repairs 336 

Rhine   Country 344 

Rhone  District 344 

Richmond 19 

Ripon 76 

Rome 238 

Ronco  192 

Rouen  126 

Rowsley  ." 41 

Riviera  di  Levante,    • 

197,  199,  344 


PAGE. 

Riviera  (French) 344 

Rumilly 152 

Ruta 202 

St.  Boswell (:/^ 

St.  Germain-en-Laye...  130 

Saint-Rambert   149 

Salerno 296,  297,  302 

Salerno   (Gulf  of 344 

Savoie 151,  164,  344 

Scotland 15,  57,  343 

Seasons  (Best) 345 

Sestri  di  Levante 208 

Shipping 353 

Sicily 344 

"Skidding" 330 

Snitterfield 24 

Sorrento   276 

Spain 344 

Spare  Parts 336 

Spezia 213,  218 

Sprags 9 

Starting  Points 346 

Steering  Wheel 327 

Stratford-on-Avon 24,  28 

Studley  Park 78 

Surrey , 85 

Susa 183 

Switzerland  344 

Talloires  160 

Tenay  149 

Termignon 166 

Tilbury  Docks 15,  16 

Tips 115,  352 

Tires 11,  329 

Tivoli 253 

Touring  Clubs 337 


366 


INDEX. 


PAGE.  PAGE. 

lours 341       Vesuvius  310,  318 

Traction    Engines 71       Villeneuve   137 

Triptyques,  .  Vosges    344 

95,  98,  no,  172,  182 

Tunis 344      Wales    56 

Turin 183      Warwick 29 

Tweed's  Muir 58 

Tyrol 344      York   79 


Valmontone 257      Zoagli 


207 


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